Motel 37
by Her Sweetness
Summary: Sequel to Wish You Were Here. When the yamis find out they’re going along with their hikaris for a vacation, they’re ecstatic. But joy quickly turns to woe when the yamis end up trapped at a motel and the killings begin. Is it one of them? DONE!
1. We are going!

Her Sweetness: Wow, you guys, here we are. My shot at the sequel for Wish You Were Here. I went through SO much hassle to pick this one to write. I have a chalkboard at home with 15 plots on it, and they all are pretty sweet. So picking this was not an easy decision. 

The prequel got a great response and I want this one to do even better, but we shall see, won't we? Ah… Alright, okay, let's go.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 1:

The alarm clock buzzed on a cloudy morning in Domino City. It screeched throughout the neighborhood, echoing back to it's bedroom, hitting the ears of the boy it was meant to. He stirred at first only smoothing his multicolored hair back. The gel that he used had been wiped onto his pillow as he tossed and turned the night before, so his spikes were even more wild than usual.

Yami yawned and looked around, his eyes first landing on the beeping alarm clock. It didn't stop. He leaned over and tapped the snooze button, but nothing happened. After tapping it about ten more times, he just through it out the window and it landed outside.

"Ouch!" Someone yelled. They must've been hit.

"… Oops…" Yami cringed, hoping that the random person wasn't at all hurt, "Yugi, I think I just hideously maimed some poor man with our alarm clock. … Yugi?" He whirled around and saw that his other half was not in the room. 'Hmm,' he thought and checked the bathroom, but he was not there either.

"Yugi…!" He called out, leaving their room and venturing out into the hallway. He checked both bathrooms, the kitchen and the living room. And after checking under the beds, he began to worry. "Yugi, where'd you go off to?"

He came downstairs into the main room of the Game Shop and stopped at the counter as his hikari's grandfather came in from outside, rubbing the side of his head. "Good God…"

"What's wrong, Grandpa?" Yami asked, taking a step towards him.

He held up half of an alarm clock, "D-Do you know who this belongs to, Yami? The darn thing hit me on the noggin while I was watering the flowers."

"O-Oh. Well, I… Um, Grandpa, do you know what has happened to Yugi? I can't find him anywhere and I was searching all over!"

Grandpa blinked then shuffled his feet, "… Don't worry about it, Yami."

"But I do worry!"

"Ah… Uh, Yugi went to the store… to get milk."

Yami tilted him head in a questioning motion, "But we have four gallons of milk. And anyways, why would he go to get milk at eight in the morning? Doesn't the grocery store open at nine on Fridays?"

He groaned and started to sweat, "… Well, you see… The store doesn't carry fresh milk anymore so… So, Yugi's gone to the country! To get fresh cow's milk and visit his cousin Ed."

"B-But…! That doesn't make any sense-"

"Now, now, Yami. It's early, I suggest you go to bed and wake up at around five o' clock or so. G'night." Grandpa nodded to himself and walked past Yami, up the stairs, leaving a very confused and upset yami.

He sighed, knowing something weird was going on. But, deciding not to push it with Grandpa, he walked behind the counter. Since it was after eight, the Game Shop was open and he had to man the counter. Yugi had taught him how to make change and shoot looters, so he could do this kind of thing. 'Carry his own weight' as some people might call it.

After standing in the same position for about an hour, Yami began to get bored. Today was so slow. No customers. And the more he thought about it, the more he got this weird feeling that something bad had happened to Yugi. He could've been kidnapped… Maybe…

**Yami's Imagination:**

The sun was shining brightly as little Yugi walked down a country lane, holding a bucket in his hand and swung it alongside himself as he continued to skip merrily down the path. Birds whistled at him and the sky seemed to be singing a song just for the little hikari.

"Dum da da dum!" He sang, smiling at the trees as they gave him a thumbs up sign.

"Hello, Yugi!" All the trees and flowers smiled at him and hummed along with his song.

Yugi gave an impish grin, waving back at the sunny creatures, "Hi everybody!"

Suddenly, a lightning bolt struck right in front of Yugi's foot. He stumbled back and yet another lightning bolt struck. Yugi began to run backwards, trying to escape nature's wrath. In the sky, the song stopped and it turned to black ash and soot. The trees died and the flowers wilted. Yugi ran for his life trying to get back to the Game Shop, but the lightning was too fast. It was on his heel as the Shop came into view and was now only feet away. As Yugi made a jump for the door knob, a bolt of lightning flashed and he was gone. An echo of his scream left…

**End Yami's Imagination.**

"Oh Ra!" Yami screamed, running to the front door of the Game Shop, "I'm coming, Yugi, don't worry!"

He hit the door with full force and almost tore it off the hinges as it opened. Yami began to sprint the door, but two feet away from the threshold were two solid bodies that Yami slammed into. He feel flat on his back from the force and woozily looked up, "… Yugi?"

"You dolt, get up." Came the harsh and yet sarcastic reply.

Yami blinked until his vision was no longer blurred. Standing right in front of him was not Yugi, but Bakura and Marik, their arms folded and scowls on their faces. "Oh… It's you. What do you want?" Yami frowned.

"Come here." They both dragged him back inside and once in the Game Shop, shoved him up against the counter.

"Stop it! What the hell are you doing?"

"Our hikaris are missing!" Marik yelled.

Bakura added, "And we know you've got something to do with it!"

"Me? What would I do with your hikaris! I'll have you know Yugi's been gone too. I woke up this morning and he wasn't anywhere to be found. But maybe Ryou and Malik are with him at cousin Ed's house."

They blinked and looked at each other. Yami wiggled out of their grip and led the way upstairs, "C'mon, Grandpa will explain it to you."

Marik shrugged and went up. Bakura followed and sighed, "This is going to be stupid, I can feel it."

When they arrived in Grandpa's bedroom, they found him knitting in his rocking chair in the corner of the room. The radio was on and it was some old-timers music. Something by Smokey Robinson.

"Oh!" The old man turned the radio's volume down when the three boys came in and sat down on his bed, "Well, what can I do for you boys? Yami, you didn't tell me your friends were coming over today."

He huffed, "They're not my friends."

Marik smacked him on the back of the head whilst Bakura answered Grandpa's question, "Listen, old man, Ryou and Malik are missing. And the Pharaoh says they went to a… cousin Ed's house? Ryou doesn't know any 'Ed', so cut the crap and gimme the boy."

"Uh…" Grandpa fumbled for something to say, "I-I…"

"Grandpa?" Yami looked at him, "Where are they, if not at cousin Ed's house?"

He put down the knitting needles and sighed. Telling the truth to these guys wasn't part of his earlier plan, but Marik and Bakura had that look on their faces, so decided to fess up. "… Well, boys, I suppose the jig is up. I wasn't supposed to tell you until five o' clock, but… I guess Yugi wont be too mad at me for spilling the beans."

"Spilling the beans…?" All three asked in unison.

"Do you remember that little vacation we all took about a month ago…? (They nodded with disgust) Well, to make up for that travesty of a camping trip, Ryou, Malik and Yugi decided to go on another one."

"WHAT! NO!"

"Calm down, calm down… Now, this time, they're taking you with them! That's why I wasn't supposed to tell before five o' clock, because they've gone ahead to the Bahamas to ready everything. I'm supposed to drive you to the airport this afternoon."

Their eyes widened and they immediately jumped into the air, flapping their arms and hugging. But the hugging quickly stopped and they lowered their celebration to just minimum cheers. After a chorus of "Abraham, Martin and John," they sat back and smiled.

"I can't believe this!" Bakura shouted, "Finally, I get the vacation I disserve! No outdoors, no wild bears and no trigger-happy Rangers…!"

Marik shook his head, "No one disserves this more than me."

"Oh, shut up!" The other two shouted.

"Make me!"

Grandpa sat in between them and smiled pleasantly, "Boys, boys! Now isn't the time for this. Don't you wanna pack? After all, you do have a plane to catch. Don't want to miss it."

"HOORAY!"


	2. Getting where?

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Oprah, Jerry Springer or the Maury show. I do not own anything else either, I am a silly, little humor writer. 

Motel 37

Chapter 2:

Immediately after hearing the good news, the boys rushed off back to their houses to pack. Of course, Yami stayed at the Game Shop, because that was his house… but I digress. Marik and Yami finished packing extremely quickly, but they ended up having to wait for Bakura. He didn't know whether or not to bring his yellow sandals or his blue sandals. Ryou always spoiled his yami with gifts that he really didn't need and therefore his closet was full with clothes and shoes… and a pair of high heels that everyone decided not to question him on.

Eventually, after waiting an hour or two, Marik and Yami came over to help out.

"C'mon, man, you can't take all these shoes!" Marik said, comparing the black sneakers with the white tennis shoes. He lifted them up to Yami, "Eh, I can't tell which ones would look better. What do you think, Pharaoh?"

"That depends on what shirt he wants to wear the first night. The one with blue strips or the wife-beater. Then of course, the pants would have to-"

"I'm gonna go the with the khaki. Ryou says it brings out my eyes."

"…" They stared at him for a minute.

"Oh, shut up!" Bakura blushed, "I'm just saying what he said! Ugh… screw the clothes, I'll go naked if I have to!"

"…"

"Stop looking at me like that!"

Yami put the other clothes into Bakura's suitcase and closed it, "Alright already, can we just go? Grandpa is probably already in the van right now, so we'd best not keep him waiting."

The other two nodded and they all dragged their separate suitcases out of the house and onto the porch. Sure enough Grandpa had the large, orange van parked right out on the curb. It was quiet an eyesore and looked like a large traffic cone meant to block the streets.

He smiled brightly and waved to them, a signal to put their things in the back of the van. As they did so, Grandpa turned his attention back to the cell phone he had between his shoulder and his ear. "… Oh, yes, Yugi, that's right."

"Aw, Grandpa… you told them early? We wanted it to be a surprise…!" Yugi whined from the other end of the line. He had been hopping that the yamis wouldn't figure it out till the last minute, but truth be told, he was more excited that upset.

The old man scratched his head, "Well, I'm sorry, but Marik and Bakura were giving me that look… You know, the one that says 'I'm gonna hang you without probable cause'."

"Ah ha ha ha! I guess that's a good enough excuse. What are they doing now?"

Grandpa turned around, "Hold on, I'll- Oh! Bakura, get down from there! Marik, you leave Yami's puzzle alone! Um… Yugi, I have to deal with something, I'll talk to you later!"

"Alright, bye Gr-"

Bleep Bleep Bleep…

Before Yugi even finished his sentence, Grandpa clicked the button on his cell phone and put it in his back pocket. The yamis were restless and thus decided to take it out on one another. It took about fifteen minutes to get them situated and once he did, he got into the driver's seat and started the engine.

It wasn't more than five minutes later when Yami got bored and began to sing, "1000 bottles of juice on the wall, 1000 bottles of juice! You take one down, pass it around, 999 bottles of juice on the wall! 999 bottles of juice on the wall, 999 bottles of-"

"Stop that!" Marik shouted.

"… Why? I heard it on TV and it sounded like fun." Yami said matter-of-factly. He turned his face and continued singing.

Marik plugged his ears with his index fingers, "I'm not listening, I'm not listening! La la la!"

Bakura rolled his eyes as the other two boys fought. He leaned his head on the window and looked up into the cloudy sky. It'd been slightly gray all morning and into the early afternoon, but now they were shifting melodically. The palm trees swayed in the breeze as the drove down the lane and little pieces of paper rustled along the gutters, people scurrying into their homes.

"Hey, gramps." Bakura called up to the old man, who was bopping his head to sound of Marik and Yami arguing, "I think it's going to start raining soon."

"Hmm? Oh, that's okay, Bakura. We'll be at the airport in a little less than a hour. No little drizzle is going to interfere with that."

* * *

Meanwhile, a five star hotel called the 'Chilly Water Resort' was all up in lights. The beacons flashing for no particular reason but it gave the five star palace a more royal look, bringing business from all over the Northern hemisphere. The sky was bright and the early evening sun was casting an unbelievable glow on the water.

Up on one of the highest floors, in room 523 were three hikaris in good spirits about everything that had gone on in the past three days.

"Malik, I cannot believe you've gotten reservations at the Chilly Water Resort!" Ryou squealed loudly as he bounced on his bed. It really was too big for just one boy, but then all the beds were queen size and he couldn't believe how big their suite was. The view of the Jacuzzis downstairs were amazing and beyond that was nothing but white sand and a sparkling ocean. It was his, and the other boy's, dream vacation.

The blonde grinned and examined his nails, "Well, you know how I do… It was easy, really."

Yugi looked up from the room service menu he was looking at on his bed, "Yeah. But how did you manage it? This is great! You must be in good with the manager or something."

"Ha ha! Kinda. You see, his wife comes to me for all her clothing needs… and I've never charged her. So, I figured she kind of owed me."

Ryou grabber the remote from his bedside table and turned the television on. It'd been almost two days since he'd seen any of his talk shows. That includes Oprah, Jerry Springer and the Maury show. He was dieing by this time. As he watched the screen, Yugi took out his cell phone.

"Yugi…" Malik eyed him, "What are you doing…?"

"Eh heh heh… Well, Malik, c'mon, don't you want to know how they're doing? I'm basically just checking to make sure Grandpa hasn't gone over a waterfall or something… I mean, he is driving three yamis and their more than likely to be rowdy and restless, don't you think?"

"Mmm. Yeah, I guess." Was all he said and then began speaking to Ryou about something that was happening on Oprah.

Yugi smiled and dialed the seven numbers on the phone. He waited as the phone rang once, twice, and then three times but no one answered. After ten rings, he hung up and put it down, "Hmm. Maybe their caught in traffic or something."

"No answer?" Ryou and Malik asked in unison.

"Nope. Oh well, I-" He was cut off by a bleeping sound that came from the TV. The screen turned to a weather station and Ryou gave a little pout, signifying his anger about them interrupting Oprah.

"… And on the northern coast, we have a hurricane watch. It's raining heavily and debris will certainly be flying around at about 75 mph. All residents are to stay exactly where they are. The hurricane watch will be active until midday Saturday. And now, the lottery numbers!"

The boys blinked and looked at each other, "…"

* * *

In the past half hour, the streets had turned from clean and bright, to flooded and mucky. The sky was a dark gray and it was raining cats and dogs. The wind was blowing harshly and worst of all the van that was once bounding down the road, was now stuck in the mud. The brown, deep, sticky mud and I'll give you one guess who was trying to get it out.

As Grandpa shoved the back of the large van yet again, he yelled up to the boys inside, "Okay, boys! Start the engine!"

"Starting…!" Bakura was at the wheel, his foot on the gas and one of his hands was on the steering wheel. The van moved and was almost out of the mud. He turned to Marik, "Tell the old guy to push harder. We've been doing this for fifteen minutes and if he doesn't put some muscle into, we'll be stuck here."

"You guys!" Yami called to them, sticking his head between the two front seats, "Shouldn't we be out there helping him? I mean, instead of sitting in here, in the nice warmth, while he's in the rain and-"

"If you wanna complain, then we'll sit you out there with him!" Marik growled.

"The man's over sixty, for Ra's sake!"

Bakura rolled his eyes and his ears perked up as he heard Grandpa calling out for some assistance. He grinned and turned on the radio, the volume way too high. "Sorry! I can't hear you!" He said and sat back to listen to the radio.

"…on the northern coast, we have a hurricane watch. It's raining heavily and debris will certainly be flying around at about 75 mph. All residents are to stay exactly where they are. The hurricane watch will be active until midday Saturday." Said the voice from the radio.

Everyone looked at each other. "What did she say?"

"Ah… ah… ah…" Heavy panting was coming in through their ears. The boys turned and saw Grandpa in the window, wiping the sweat off his forehead. But it didn't make a difference because the constant rain. "W-What did the news say?"

Yami blinked, "It said for everyone in this area to stay put because of a hurricane. I don't think it's safe out here."

Everyone looked outside and saw a tree blow over and hit someone, smashing them into their house.

"No duh!" They yelled at Yami.

"Well…" Grandpa hopped back into the driver's seat, "I think we need to find somewhere to stay. For safety's sake and all."

Marik and Bakura's jaws dropped, "What? But what about the Bahamas!"

"The Bahamas aren't going anywhere. Maybe when this all clears up we can book you another flight. But for now…" He tried the ignition and nothing happened. He sighed, knowing the all mud must've messed it up severely. When the yamis were told this, they showed no sign of caring and 'suggested' that he go out and push the van till they find somewhere to stay until the storm blows over.

About fifteen minutes later, through rain and trees and leaves and everything else imaginable, Grandpa was able to push not only the van but the three boys in it to a weird looking building with a busted neon sign that said 'Motel 37'.

"… What is _that_?" Marik raised an eyebrow.

Grandpa practically crawled to the window and sighed, "_That_… is where we'll be staying tonight…"


	3. Nothing but air

Motel 37 

Chapter 3:

The building wasn't a skyscraper, that was for sure. But for some reason, it didn't seem too small either. About four stories and all of it was gray. As gray as the skies that surrounded it and the lightning that kept striking down, flash by flash. As they neared the old motel, Grandpa still pushing the van, Yami looked at it half-heartedly.

"I-I don't think this is such a good idea you guys…" He said inching towards Bakura for comfort. He got not but a smack on the head and Bakura looked away. Yami twiddled his thumbs and continued, "This place looks… old. I don't like it."

Marik shrugged, "Gramps looks old, but you like him just fine."

"He's not a creepy building, Marik. He's a respectable senior citizen and I, for one, am very happy that he's with us during our time of-"

"Read my lips. Old. Man. Now, shut it, Yami, you're giving me a headache." Bakura sighed and looked out the window. They'd stopped moving and that meant that either Grandpa had either collapsed, or that they were parked and ready to go in.

"O-Okay, boys…" Grandpa was opening the trunk, "We're here. Let's get your stuff out."

Marik and Bakura got out, using their hands to shield them from the harsh rain. They put on an act, complaining about how they felt feverish and tired from the trip. Thinking that perhaps they could get out of carrying Bakura's trunk full of shoes. And it worked. Bakura and Marik went inside while Yami and Grandpa dragged the bags inside.

"Ah…" Bakura shook his hair from side to side to get the water off. As he and Marik were the first two to get into the lobby of the motel, they took this opportunity to look around.

The inside wasn't any better than the outside. Gray and shabby walls, the wallpaper rolling down and meeting the blue carpet which was stained and blotted. On either side of the service desk were two dark hallways. Everything was covered in dusk and the place looked deserted.

Marik shook his head, "If Malik saw this place, he'd have a fit…"

"_Tacky_."

"Gah…!" Yami collapsed on the floor and was followed by Grandpa who had apparently carried him and the bags in.

"Oh, there you are. Where's my shoes?" Bakura asked but was ignored.

Grandpa stored up and wildly shook the water off his overalls and looked up, "Well. Let's go ahead and get a room, shall we? Hmm. Looks like no one's here…" He walked up to the desk, Yami by his side and they ringed the little bell that lay by one of the wilted plants.

Ding-ding!

"…" All four looked around, "Uh… anybody home?"

"You rang…?" A voice came from the desk and everyone whirled around, facing a lanky man that looked about twenty years younger than Grandpa. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, that was missing the bowtie and his black hair was bit tasseled. He starred at Marik for a minute before continuing, "… We welcome you to the Motel 37. My name is Shivers. How may I be of service…?"

His voice was long and drawn out, and seemed to hang in the air.

After shaking himself, mentally, Grandpa spoke up, "O-Oh, well, we've been inconvenienced by the storm and so we need a place to stay until it blows over."

"Of course, sir…" The gaunt man nodded and motioned towards the key rack behind him, "We have two rooms available, numbers 5 and 6. Will you take both, or…?"

"What do you think, boys?" He turned around to Marik, Yami and Bakura. Yami quickly volunteered to room with Grandpa and Marik and Bakura shrugged at each other. "We'll take the last two rooms, then."

Shivers held the two keys up and began to walk slowly down the first hallway. "… You must forgive me for not taking your bags. Our bellhop went missing last week… and I've got a bad back…"

Yami raised an eyebrow, "Your bellhop went missing? How?"

"Now, now, Yami. Don't bother our host with silly questions." Grandpa smiled at him, juggling two trunks in his arms.

"Yeah, Yami…!" Marik leaned over the Pharaoh's shoulder, grinning madly at him, "Don't be such a busybody. We just got here and you're already giving this freak the third degree."

"Hmm…" Shivers shot Marik a quick look and turned, unlocking the two rooms. Bakura blinked. He wasn't aware that they had gotten to the rooms yet. Looking back, he noticed that they had climbed a flight of stairs and they were now in a dark hallway only lit by a candle mounted on the wall. It was eerily quiet, the only noise being the somewhat distant sound of Yami and Marik's bickering. Other doors were down this hallway, but they seemed like no one was residing in them.

"Hey, Bakura! What're do you doing?" Marik's voice shook Bakura out of his observations. Yami and Grandpa were no where to be seen, probably in their room. Shivers was standing by the open door the Marik was peeking out of. "Let's go."

He walked by and before he got into the room, asked, "… Are there any other people here or are we the only ones?"

"You will meet the others tonight at dinner. Seven o' clock, in the dinning hall, third floor… The other two in your group are already aware." With that, Shivers walked away, back down the hallway and disappearing into the darkness.

Marik and Bakura looked at each other, "…"

* * *

In room 523 of the Chilly Water Resort, two hikaris were going insane. Of course, there were three hikaris in total, but, for whatever reason, one didn't seem as upset as the others. He sat on his bed, not smiling but a brightness shining through his features. The television's volume was down all the way so the boys could fret in peace.

"Oh Ra, oh Ra…" Ryou looked around the room, under his bed and behind the dressers, "Where's my bloody cell phone? Why do I lose things!"

Malik bit his lip, lifting the sheets for his bed, "I-I'm sure it's here, somewhere, Ryou, don't panic!"

"Gosh, gosh… What do you think is happening to them? They could be caught out in the storm! Or… or maybe they got on the plane and the plane is stuck in the storm!"

"And then the plane crashes!"

"Into the ocean, full of man-eating sharks!"

"AAHH!" They both screamed, clinging onto each other.

Yugi blinked, sipping his soda and giggling. "What are you two talking about? They're in a storm not a soap opera! No one's going into shark infested waters. I'd bet my puzzle that Grandpa has them back home."

Malik raised an eyebrow, "I'll take that bet."

"I was just kidding, Malik!"

"B-But my yami!" Ryou cried, sniffling, "He's never experienced a hurricane before…! He could think it's something to eat, run out there and get mowed over by a palm tree! This is all so depressing…"

"Calm down, Ryou. I'm sure Bakura's not that… stupid."

"Yeah. And, uh… okay, you guys, if you're that worried about Marik and Bakura, you can use my cell phone." Yugi pulled a small, black phone out of his back pocket and tossed it to Ryou.

He caught it and dialed seven numbers and it began to ring.

"Hello?"

Ryou tilted his head and whispered to Yugi, "It's your Grandfather."

Grandpa recognized the British accent and smiled, "Oh, Ryou. Is that you? Well, I'm guessing you're wanting to talk to Bakura, is that right?"

"Ah… well, not if he's busy, but… W-We heard about the hurricane and everything. Are you and the others okay? Where are you?"

"Oh, we're fine! We were out on the road when we heard about it on the radio and then we found this place called Motel 37. We're here right now. Yami and I are sharing one room and Marik and Bakura are sharing another." Grandpa looked down at Yami who was tugging on his sleeve, seemingly pouting. The older man smiled and said into the phone, "Ryou, can Yami talk to Yugi for a moment?"

"Sure, okay." He handed the phone to Yugi and he smiled, "Hi there, Yami!"

"Hello, Yugi. We're not going to be able to go to the Bahamas with you…"

"Aw, I know. But I'll bet it's kind of like the Bahamas. I mean, we're in a hotel and so are you. You'll just have to make the best out of it until the storm blows over."

Yami looked around at the cobwebs and the dusk and the dead spiders on the window sills, "I-I don't think it's the same thing, Yugi…"

"'Course it is! You've gotta have a bright attitude, Yami, and things will turn out for the better, 'kay?"

"Uh… 'kay." He said with confidence.

Yugi giggled, "Listen, I've gotta go. We're about to go to dinner, they've got a five star restaurant here, can you believe it? So awesome. Anyway, Yami, call me when you need to. Be good, okay? Bye!"

Yami almost whimpered a little bit when the line went dead and Yami handed the phone back to Grandpa. The old man sighed and looked around, "Well… it's not much, but it's good enough for right now, eh, Yami?"

"Oh. Yeah, I guess so. Um, hey…" He looked at the clock on the wall. It struck seven on the dot, "Shouldn't we be heading down to dinner?"

He blinked and smiled, "Right. Let's go get Bakura and Marik."

Knock knock…!

Grandpa turned on his heel and opened the door. Both yamis were standing there, looking bored. "… You ready?" Bakura asked, motioning towards the hallway, "We're gonna be late."

Yami glared at him, "Yes, we're ready. Anyway, let's go." He walked out of the room and the other three followed. They got to the dinning room with the greatest of ease, which was odd because all the hallways looked identical. It wasn't big at all. About the size of a medium kitchen, with a rather big table. The walls were littered in bad paintings of old people and the motel, itself. The boys were surprised at the amount of guests because there were barely any. An old woman, who was sleeping in her soup. Her daughter, who had some sort of phobia of bras. And this jittery man who didn't make eye contact with anyone.

Five minutes into it, Shivers came out with a cart. Marik raised an eyebrow at the man and asked, "Why are you here? Isn't there supposed to be some sort of chef?"

"… He disappeared last week. A little after the bellhop." He said coolly and continued to serve some strange soup.

Yami looked at it curiously. The pieces of chicken and tomato were floating rather freely, like leaves floating in a stream. It smelled a lot like feet and when he tried to eat it, he almost chocked. "G-Gah! What is this?" He demanded of Shivers who was waking up the old woman.

"Lydia. Lydia, wake up- Hmm? Oh… That is a secret family recipe of mine. It's been in my family for ages."

Marik sniffed it, "Smells like it's been sitting out for ages."

Bakura followed the other boys' example and didn't eat it. Yami and Marik actually went through the meal without arguing. The atmosphere was way too dense for that and they couldn't figure out why. Grandpa, however, wolfed down the entire bowl and asked for seconds. Of course he didn't receive a fresh bowl, he got the one that Lydia had fallen asleep in. He ate it anyway.

Afterwards, when the table was being cleared and the guests retired to their own rooms, quietly, Shivers filled the cart and asked Marik to help him get everything back into the kitchen.

He winced and took a step back, "Eh, sorry, man… Can't. You see, I have this ulcer and it's just popped up, so I'd better take a lay down."

Bakura saw the man's eyes shift to him and he scooted to Marik's side, "And I've gotta help him…! You know, just to make sure he's okay and everything…" He felt a little something tugging at his shirttail and it was Yami who had hidden behind the taller yami.

"That's okay, Shivers. I'll help you." Grandpa got up from the table and walked into the kitchen, after Shivers.

"Grandpa…!"

"I'll be there in a moment, Yami." He waved the boy away, "I need to work out these old bones, anyway."

"… A-Alright." He nodded and went with Marik and Bakura back to their hallway.

While on the walk back, Marik looked back at Yami who was starring at the paintings lining the hallway wall, "Admiring art, are we, Pharaoh?"

"Ah… No. These pictures look kind of weird, don't you think? I mean… Who the heck paints about one person all the time?"

"What?" Bakura raised an eyebrow, and looked closer at the painting, "These aren't all one person. There's no way it's all-"

"Alright, cut it out!" Marik said, opening the door to his and Bakura's room, "Paintings are stupid. Yami, you and Gramps, just go to bed. You're getting on my nerves… Wait, where's the old one?"

"Huh?" Yami looked around. "G-Grandpa? Grandpa, where did you go off to?"

Bakura shushed him, "Quiet! You're going to cause the other people to come out here and eat you. Ra knows they could use the food, that stuff at dinner was awful. Bleh."

"Dinner! Grandpa must be on his way back, c'mon!" He quickly grabbed Marik and Bakura's wrists without thinking and rushed them up a flight of stairs, into the dining room. They tore their arms away when he began to search under the tablecloth. Yami called Grandpa's name a few times and nothing but his echo came back to him.

"Yami, give it a rest. Maybe he's back at the room."

"…!" He flew back downstairs and Marik and Bakura followed, cracking their necks and making fun of the naked women in the portraits on the walls. The door opened with Yami behind it and he looked inside, "Hey, Grandpa? Are you back?"

Marik tilted his head, "Pharaoh, I think you're talking to thin air…"

"B-But… He can't be gone! Grandpa! Where are you!"

Nothing but air answered his call.


	4. Something about strip

Her Sweetness: Hi there. I'm just showing up for a moment to answer a question from Computerfreak101. It's a good one, so I'll just spit out the answer right now. Um… their bonding trip in Wish You Were Here will show maybe a little bit. But of course, you can be expecting their normal arguing like you have seen in the first three chapters. 

That is if everything goes according to plan. Which it never does when it comes to my fics…. Does anyone else notice this?

Ha! Thanks, and enjoy.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 4:

"Oh no… Not again, this isn't good!"

Yami's hands were on his head as he paced around the bed, mumbling to himself, sometimes yelling out things and breaking down, crying. And all the while that Yami was freaking out, Marik and Bakura sat on the bed and played with cards that they found in the bureau drawer. Earlier, when Yami had figured out that Grandpa wasn't in the room, Bakura was the first to through something at Yami's head, hoping to knock him out before he did anything stupid.

But… it missed. And, instead, the vase hit Marik in the face. They fought over it for a moment, until they found the cards. And that's when they settled down.

"Boom, baby! Straight flush. Okay, Bakura, you know the rules. Off with your pants."

Bakura through his cards down, "Marik, this is not strip poker!"

"Hey, you owe me!" He pointed to the bump on his head where the vase had beaned him. It was red still but the puffiness had subsided with some cold stuff that Bakura found under the bed. He didn't know what it was, but it sure was cold. "I could have brain-damage now, thanks to you!"

"… Nah. It's too easy." Bakura chuckled to himself.

"Y-You guys! Help me out here!" Yami had ceased talking to himself and put his hands on his hips. "Grandpa's missing! I mean, don't you care? Or is your stupid strip poker game more important?"

"We're not playing strip poker!"

"Look, Yami. What did I tell you before? He went to help that freaky guy out in the kitchen."

"It's been like forever, since we left him with Shivers! How long does it take for two people to wash and put up dishes? For Ra's sake there were only seven bowls! Maybe he got lost… this place is kinda big."

Bakura nodded, "He said his old bones need a work out. This long walk could be just the thing he needs. And anyway, Yami, you should be happy."

"H-Happy…?"

"I mean, he's 'lost' in a motel. Nothing can happen to him here. It's like starving in McDonalds."

"What? What does that mean?"

"I dunno. I saw it on an infomercial."

Yami huffed and walked over to the door, "I don't know what you guys are thinking, but I'm going out to look for my hikari's grandfather!" He flung the door open and quickly screamed. Shivers was standing at the threshold, holding a candlestick in one hand and a silver key in the other.

"GAH! Ah… Oh Ra, what are you doing?" Yami grabbed at his chest, hopping to slow his rabbit-like heart. It was unknown to Yami, but at that moment, he'd jumped back more than three feet. (A new record for our Pharaoh.)

Shivers shook his head from side to side, "Time for bed. I am locking your door."

"Wait, no!" Yami cried, "Y-You can't! You see, our Grandpa is somewhere in the motel! I think he's lost because he hasn't come back and it's been almost half an hour! Have you seen him?"

"…No."

Marik rolled his eyes and shook a card at the man, "What do you mean no? You were the last person to see him. He helped you with the dishes didn't he? So, that means you should know where he is."

"…" Shivers' gaze rested on Marik, giving him a blank stare which was beginning to really freak the blonde out.

Bakura winced, "Hello? Yeah, where's the old man? If he's on the can, just tell us. We wont be offended."

Yami glared at him and Marik busted out into laughter.

"… I haven't seen your elderly friend since you three left. Before we even entered the kitchen, he said something about his uvula cramping. He turned back after you."

Yami faltered, "B-But…! That doesn't make any sense! We weren't going fast, we could've easily heard or seen him. He must've been-"

"Well, good night." Shivers interrupted and grabbed onto the doorknob, pulling it to a close.

"Stop!" The Pharaoh held the door open with his body, having to suck his stomach in so he wouldn't be squished, "Why are you locking us in? What if we have to go to the bathroom?"

Bakura and Marik raised their hands, "I already went."

"Shut it! I'm not talking about you." He turned back to Shivers who had apparently said something and Yami didn't hear, "What did you say?"

"We have a curfew in this motel. I'm sorry but, really, you should stay in your room. Now, I must be going, I must lock the other rooms. Good night." He shut the door and Yami could hear the tumblers in the doorknob locking. It stopped and Shivers' footsteps could be heard, walking away.

"… I-I can't believe this…!" He whirled around to Marik and Bakura, "He locked us in here! D-Do you believe this!"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, terrible… You have any threes, Bakura?"

Bakura looked through his hand, "Nope. Go fish."

"Ah! Listen to me, Ra dammit! I demand your attention, right now!" Yami jumped up and down, stomping his foot like a unattended child, "Now, now, now!"

Before Marik or Bakura could react to anything Yami had just said, a loud crash echoed through their room. The lights flickered for a moment and another boom came. Bakura smoothed his hair down and looked out the glass window. The lightning was coming faster now and the rain hadn't stopped since they were pushed up to the motel. Branches of a tree scratched up against the windowpane and made a long streak on the glass.

"Eh… You guys, I-I think we should find Grandpa. Now. We can't just stay here and let him wander around this awful place without us."

Marik looked up to Yami, "And just where exactly would we look? We don't know this place any better than he does and besides that, the door is locked."

"What kind of excuse is that? We've got the King of Thieves with us! Shouldn't that count for something when it comes to unlocking doors?"

"… Me?" Bakura blinked, inching away from Yami as he moved closer, "What the hell are you talking about! I'm not finished playing my hand, yet!" His protests were in vain as Yami dragged him by hand over to the door.

"Please, Bakura, don't you want to find Grandpa? Doesn't he mean anything to you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Bakura!"

"Oh, alright…" Bakura heaved a sigh and cracked his knuckles. He tested the doorknob, thought for only a second, and flicked it under the handle and the door slowly opened. "There. Happy, now, my Pharaoh?"

"… T-That was amazing Bakura!" Yami gasped, examining the lock closely.

Marik got up from the bed and walked into the hallway. "Well, okay. We're out but now what do you suggest we do? I mean- What? Yami! Yami, get back here!"

As soon as Yami was able to get out, he flew down the dark hallway, without even saying anything to Marik or Bakura. He did however hear Marik say something like 'I hope you get lost!' But, of course, he didn't pay any mind to that. He had more important things to worry about. When Yami rounded the corner, he slowed to a walk and looked around. It was then that he noticed a lot of the candles mounted on the walls, had gone out. There were only a few still lit and he followed those with great caution.

He hoped that maybe he'd be able to find Shivers and they could go looking for Grandpa. But then he thought that since Shivers was no help before, he wouldn't be again. And besides that, he didn't trust Shivers very much. If only for the reason that he talked funny and was always starring at Marik.

"… Hmm. Grandpa!" Yami shouted towards the darkness. A candle beside him blew out and he jumped to the side. "Gah… uh, okay. M-Maybe he's further down here…" He pushed his back towards the wall and slid about forty feet that way, trying to keep away from the wall that had the weird candles.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bakura and Marik were going down another hallway, not looking for Grandpa, but kind of looking for Yami. Although they didn't want to admit to themselves that they actually wanted to find Yami, they convinced themselves that they were doing it for Yugi. Although they didn't like him much either. Oh well, the point is… they were walking.

"Ugh. Face it, the old man's gone and now Yami's gone too. I swear, it's like some kind of magic act." Bakura halted and looked backwards. The lightning was still going on outside and that set the mood for all the darkness. And though most people would be rushing back to their rooms, Marik and Bakura felt at home in the quiet dark. All they needed was a sandwich and they'd be good to go.

"Well, I say we just find Yami and throw him back into the room. The old man's gonna be okay. Wasn't you who said that he couldn't possibly get into any trouble at a motel?"

"… Mmm, yeah. Alright, let's just-"

"AAAHHH!"

Both yamis whipped their heads around at the scream. It seemed to be coming from everywhere all at once. Marik had to resist the urge to jump into Bakura's arms and shriek. And he resisted quite well, considering the fact that it was Bakura who'd jumped into his arms.

"W-What was that…!" The white-haired boy looked around from side to side. His long hair whipping Marik in the face.

"Get off of me!" Marik dumped Bakura onto the floor and started speed-walking. Bakura followed him down the hallway and they turned two corners.

"What do you think it was?"

"I don't know, but maybe it was just a- Yami…?"

They stopped after turning the third corner. Gaping at this scene on the floor. Yami was hovering over the same woman they'd seen at dinner, sleeping in her soup. Drops of blood led a trail to her body where her arms and legs were bathing a crimson pool. Yami looked up suddenly, "… I…"

Bakura's gaze finally rested on the blood, staining the front of his sneaker. He licked his lips, "Ooh. Hey, is that free?"

"Not now, Bakura!" Marik yelled at him, stopping when Shivers rounded the corner.


	5. Mr Brightside

Her Sweetness: Hello there. Sorry that this one took me a while. I suffered from 'author laziness'. A very common disease. In fact, a few friends of mine are suffering from it as I speak. Lack of inspiration, I supposing…

This one is for all those writers who don't want to get going.

Here's hoping you find what you're looking for, guys.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 5:

"… Well, well." Was all Shivers said, standing in the middle of the hallway. He actually had been there for about a minute or so, but he'd been stuck in silence. Surveying the scene that lay before him. Drops of red on Yami's hands. It was smeared on the knees of his leather pants as well, glistening under the light of the dim candle. He looked back from Shivers to the other to boys, arguing amongst themselves. Then down to the older woman that lay in an endless sleep, blood trickling down her wrists and ankles.

"C'mon! Just a little taste, please! There's enough for everybody!" Bakura whined, trying desperately to get out of Marik's tight grip and wriggle in the red stuff.

Marik's hold on him did not waver, "Now is not the time, Bakura! Satisfy your lust for blood later. Right now, Yami's killed someone, so-"

"What? N-No…" Yami shook his head, scrambling to get off the woman. His breath had been caught in his chest ever since Shivers had come and stood there, his face blank. Those only two words he spoke were even worse than the silence and Yami knew he had to explain himself and quick, before any accusations were made, "Y-You see, I was out looking for my-"

"Grandmamma!" Suddenly a shrill cry echoed down the hall, followed by what sounded like a stampede, but ended up only being one pair of size six feet, trotting down the hallway. "Grandmamma! Where are you!" From out of the shadows stepped the young woman they'd seen at dinner. The carrot-top, bird-like girl who tried to wake up her Grandmother at dinner.

"Brittany, I don't think you should be here, right now." Shivers said to her, his eyes not moving from Lydia, on the floor.

"Ah…" Her brown eyes darted from Yami to Marik to Bakura then back down to Yami, "Y-You murderer!"

"No, wait!" He protested, "I didn't!"

"Call the police, Mr. Shivers! Get that madman locked up!" Brittany lost all control, banging her fists on Shivers' shoulders, "Please, please! I beg of you, call the police before this crazy person strikes again! He's killed my grandmamma! Oh, please…!"

"Ms. Coe, I think you need to calm down… We have no way of knowing if Mr. Motou has actually murdered anyone…" His eyes shifted, "But. This does look a bit damning, doesn't it?"

Yami stood up, clasping his hands together in front of Brittany, "Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I didn't kill your grandmother! I was out here, searching for my own Grandfather and I-I tripped. O-Over her foot…"

"Lies! It's not true, he killed her! Just look into his eyes, that madman would kill me right now if you all weren't here!" She pointed accusingly at him, her finger touching his forehead.

It was at this time when both Marik and Bakura made their presence known once again by rolling on the floor, and holding their sides. Apparently sick with laughter. Tears streaming down their faces, Bakura's visage red and Marik's purple. Bakura was first to gain control of himself and speak, "O-Okay, please… stop, before you kill us, too…! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"And _what_ may I ask is so funny!" Yami shouted, "I'm in real trouble you guys, stop it!"

Brittany dropped to her knees, her white dress being stained by the blood, "Indeed you are! Look at my Grandmother… Oh, just look at her!" She stood and staggered towards the tri-color haired boy, "You…! You murderer!"

"No, I-"

"Alright, first and foremost," Marik stepped in between Brittany and Yami as the girl was beginning to take matters into her own hands. "There's no way Yami could kill your old lady because… Well, just look at the guy! I-I mean, he's geek with a little bit of chic. And I say this only because of his leather pants."

Yami blushed.

Bakura stepped in, "And besides that, what motive would he have? He doesn't like getting his hands dirty, why would he try and kill someone? No reason."

"Yes, I'm afraid he has a point." Shivers finally decided to say something. Although he'd been quiet for almost ten minutes, he stepped forward, "And now, please, I must ask you all to go back to your bedrooms, at once. Seeing as how this has happened, I fear for your safety."

"But, Grandpa-"

"Mr. Motou, your Grandfather is out of our hands now, you must go back to you rooms. It must be near ten o' clock by now… Shakes!" Shivers called into the darkness, though his call was firm, it was also hushed. Almost immediately, a very tall came staking out of the abyss, carrying a black bag. He stopped right in front of Lydia, whose blood was almost spent. The man shot Shivers a look.

"Shakes. Would you be so kind as to take Mrs. Coe away…? We had… an accident."

The grim man nodded, throwing the black garbage bag over Lydia's body. Before scooping her up in his arms, he scanned the hallway quickly, as if searching for Marik. His dark eyes finally resting on Marik's form, looking at him from top to bottom.

This time Marik did not let such a gesture go without notice, "Ah, hey! What? Do I have something on my face?"

Seemingly startled, he scrambled to him feet, dropping Lydia on her head, causing more blood to stream from her body.

"Eww…" All yamis cringed at once. Brittany had fainted and Shivers whispered something to Shakes, causing him to fumble down the hallway, a trail of blood marking his footprints.

Shivers gasped to himself, "… I'll take Lydia to her room. Mr. Motou, I trust this little incident will see to it that you stay in your room for the remainder of your stay here?"

"B-But, my Grand-"

"Enough, Yami!" Bakura cried, dragging Yami towards their room, "I've had enough of all this nonsense! I'm saying that the old man's in the can and that's that! No more! End of discussion!"

Marik followed, glancing back only to see Shivers hurriedly wiping the blood off the floor and taking Brittany down the hallway. The lack of candlelight limited his vision.

* * *

"I feel bad about this, you guys…"

Ryou laid his head down on the rim of the Jacuzzi and slid further down. His pink hair, turning a darker hot pink when it hit the water. He stirred his finger around one of the bubbles that formed by Malik's shoulder. The nighttime air was calm and warm. The palm trees swayed a little in the breeze but it was really nothing and the sun had set a good four hours ago. After hearing from Grandpa that everything was fine with him and their yamis, the hikaris decided to go out and do something fun. Looking down on the boardwalk, this was the thing that looked the most suitable, but there was something that didn't make Ryou relax like he was meant to.

"Oh, Ryou… C'mon." Yugi patted Ryou's arm, sliding his own back under the bubbles, "You can't be worrying about Bakura. Grandpa said they're in a _motel_, and that they're fine."

"It's not that I don't know they're fine. I mean, it's just that… well, bad things always happen when we're away from them. Somebody always gets hideously maimed. It's like some kind of curse. I'm sorry, but I don't feel good about this."

Malik nodded, his eyes closed, "… Yeah. But, hey, look on the bright side!"

Both Lights looked over at him, "What bright side?"

"At least none of us are there with them…!"

"…" Yugi sighed, "M-Malik… I don't think that's exactly a 'bright side'. Don't you feel bad about having Marik out there in that storm? In a dingy, little thing of a motel?"

"Bleh! Heaven knows Marik's put me through hell and high water. Both within the same day! So, he can stand a bit of misery."

Ryou and Yugi scooted to the other side of the Jacuzzi with horrified looks on her faces. "…!"

Malik blinked, "What?"

"You're going to get struck by lightning, talking like that!" They yelled.

"Oh, please!" Malik rolled his eyes, tossing his hair back, "You two are being silly. I dare anyone to try and make a lightning rod out of me…!"

A bright, white flash struck in the near distance, just over the horizon. The deep blue sky lit for a split second and the clouds parted. Suddenly, Ryou and Yugi clung together shouting at the blonde, who was dumbstruck, "See! We told you!"

"Gah… O-Okay, okay… I believe you." Malik stood up and shouted to the heavens, "I'M SORRY! I DIDN'T MEAN IT! … Whatever I did…"

Suddenly the clouds cleared, the lightning disappearing behind the pale moon. Malik plopped back down into the water and looked over at Ryou and Yugi, who were both considerably calmer now. But both in complete shock over what had just happened. "Oh my Ra…" They looked up at the sky then back at Malik, "How'd you do that?"

He shrugged, "All I did was apologize."

After a moment of awkward silence, Yugi cleared his throat, "… Uh, does anyone remember what we were talking about?"

"… I don't know, but whatever it was, I suggest we continue our conversation inside where there's a lesser chance of us getting hit by lightning."

"Ditto."

* * *

Currently, about half a world away, on the grounds of Motel 37, the hurricane had gotten much worse. There used to be exactly ten dead trees on the front lawn of the old motel. Right then, there were two trees that were still standing. Actually, one of those trees was hanging on to the ground but just one root. Until one second later, when a bolt of lightning struck, severing the trunk from the root and freeing it. The large tree went flying in the direction of five of the other trees, right to the front door of the motel, bashing it in. Most of the door was barricaded with the trunks of large trees, but there was one spot under the doors that was a rather large hole.

Inside room number 5 on the second floor, there were three yamis that were trying desperately to get to bed. But it wasn't as easy as it sounded, due to the fact of possessiveness and paranoia.

"I'm sleeping on the bed and that is that! So, you can just shove it, Bakura!" Marik stuck out his tongue to the Tomb Robber and hopped onto the bed. Bouncing on it as he did so. "Good night."

"What? Marik, you get off there right this minute!" Bakura immediately pounced onto the bed, arms outstretched, ready to attack the boy on the bed.

Marik only winced when he was scratched on the shoulder by Bakura' nails, but sent a swift kick to his groin, which rendered Bakura immobile for a few minutes. As Marik smirked to himself, he noticed Yami over by the window, shuddering to himself when lightning struck.

"What are you doing over there?"

Yami whipped his head around, "… Marik, I have a bad feeling about this place. I really think we should leave tonight. I-I mean, I don't think it's safe here."

"R-Relax… P-Pharaoh." Bakura's eyes were watering as he fell to the ground, holding his crotch, "S-S-Stop being… paranoid. We c-can go in… mo-morning…"

"That's right. You tell 'em, Bakura." Marik yawned, snuggling under the covers of the hard and crusty bed. (In a place like Motel 37, what do you expect? Sleep Master 3000? Hardly.)

"Someone has died, Marik! Grandpa is gone! For all we know, he could've been killed as well! And- Hey, what happened to Bakura?"

"Ah, don't worry about him. He's just a little blue."

"Y-Yeah…! And you don't want to know where…" Bakura wheezed.

"… Oh, I _give up_!"

"Good night, to both of you. And turn the lights off, someone."

That night, Yami slept curled up in a little ball on the foot of the bed, right by Marik's foot. He did get kicked quiet a bit (most of the time was not an accident) but at least he felt safe. Bakura got over his excruciating pain and managed to crawl into the bed without Marik noticing, and he gave the Egyptian a good kick of his own. All the while, the storm continued overhead and Shakes patrolled the hallways, relighting candles that had gone out.


	6. Coming up short

Her Sweetness: Ah. Well, I'm listening to Soramimi Cake Remix, complements of Riku's Gurl. Ha ha! It's so cute!

Ahem. Yes, well, let's continue?

Right, we're good to go.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 6:

People are used to the morning as being the dawn of something bright, sunny and new. They expect birds singing their song for the whole world to hear and they expect to go outside and stretch their arms, watching kids running down the lane and interrupting traffic by throwing their shoes at cars and cause awful wrecks - I am getting off topic.

This day was nothing short of miserable and black. Even darker than the night before. Most of the lightning had doubled and the constant rain didn't waver. The trees at the door had all but broken down the more than fragile oak. And all the cracks in the door did not go unnoticed.

Shivers sent Shakes to wake up the other guests. (Or what was left of them, excluding Lydia.) But before Shakes even made it to room number 5, the boys in there were already awake and at each other's throats.

"Thanks to you, Bakura, I woke up with a gigantic amount of pain! And you happened to be the cause of it!" Marik shouted. He and Bakura had woken up about ten minutes ago and just seeing each other sparked an argument. Surely Yami would've been involved in this as well, but he was still asleep.

Bakura rubbed his head, "Well, it isn't my fault! You slept with your foot in my face! … And by the way, when's the last time you had a bath?"

Naturally, he was slapped. Bakura rolled to the foot of the bed, knocking Yami off and onto the floor. "Gah!" He screamed, emerging from the floor with a red bump matching Marik's. "Bakura, was that you!"

"Oh, shut up. Your voice grates on my mind."

Yami blinked, frowning, "… Hey, you guys, did any of you call my name last night? Or say anything to me whatsoever?"

Bakura and Marik exchanged a glance and busted into laughter.

"W-What?" Yami asked.

Marik wiped a tear away from his eye, "Pharaoh… You need to keep those dreams of yours under control. Neither of us was 'calling your name'."

"Ah… you pervert! I wasn't talking about that kind of thing. Someone – something was saying my name. It said 'Yami' and then I couldn't really hear the rest."

"Yami, have you ever considered the fact that it might've been a _dream_?" Bakura said, having just recovered from a laughing spell.

"N-No! It sounded really real. I really don't like this place anymore. All our sakes considered, I think we should lea- Oh Ra!"

"What now?"

"Grandpa! I forgot! While we've been sleeping all night, Grandpa has been who knows where, doing who knows what! Oh this isn't good… We've lost him _again_! Before we leave today, we have to get him, no ifs, ands or buts about it."

Bakura looked at Marik, "I'll bet you Ryou that the old man is in the can."

Marik shook the Tomb Robbers hand, "I'll take that bet."

"Yeah, but you've gotta put something up for collateral. 'Cause, I just know he's in the bathroom."

"Fine, I'm putting up Malik."

Bakura smirked and Yami's jaw was on the floor, "… WE ARE NOT BETTING OUR HIKARIS ON THE OFF CHANCE THAT SOMEONE IS IN THE BATHROOM!"

"Relax. We'll let you bet Yugi, if you want. He can make my bed in the morning, when I win."

"Tch. Whatever."

Knock Knock… The boys turned around at the door. Bakura went to answer it. He opened the door and the extremely tall and somber-looking man named Shakes was standing at the door, "…" He looked past Bakura, to Marik.

The blonde winced; having just about enough of this _thing_ that Shivers was doing and now Shakes. "S-Stop it!"

Shakes bowed his apology and mumbled, "Please come down to the lobby. We have a bit of a problem, sirs, and Mr. Shivers requests everyone's presence." He turned on his he'll and mumbled for them to follow him. They walked behind him, cautiously, Yami looking around for any sign of Grandpa. Anything that could've belonged to him. His overalls, or his cell phone, maybe even his bandana.

They arrived at the first floor, not three minutes later and what they saw made their jaws drop. The blue carpet that was, yesterday, almost clean, save a few blotches, was now covered with a foot of water from one corner of the room to the other. Their gazes rested on the broken double doors, tree trunks poking through it, large holes scattered across its length. And it was still raining out side. The boys hadn't questioned the weather in their minds since they'd woken, figuring that the weather woman they heard on the radio yesterday would be right, and the hurricane would've cleared by midday today.

Along with Shivers, two other people were standing at the door. Brittany and that other man that was at dinner last night. There happened to big a large hole under the door, and that was where all the water was coming through. It was pouring out like a waterfall, but at the same time, the other three had been trying to scoop it back out with buckets. They were all drenched and it wasn't working too well.

Yami was the first to waddle over to Shivers, trying not to get his leather pants too wet. "Um, Shivers…! What's going on? Why's everything flooded?"

"…" He turned back to the Pharaoh, saying, "… The weather channel has just announced that the hurricane has turned into a flood. Everyone is cautioned. In West Domino, people are hanging onto the street lights."

Marik sighed, "Thank evilness, I live in East Domino!"

"If you would just grab on of those," Shivers pointed to a pile of buckets over by the seconded hallway behind the service desk. The dark hallway they had yet to enter, "And help us, I'm sure we could get this done…"

On their way over there, Bakura called back to Shivers, "Even if we do get the water _out_, more water's gonna pour back in, you know."

"… I have… things to block it."

Marik winced, "I hope he means silly putty."

"Oh, you guys… OH MY RA!" Yami had picked up a gray bucket from the pile, and when he'd lifted it, a large puddle of red was underneath. He cautiously looked on the underside of his bucket and there was a huge glob of red. His eyes followed the red droplets into the hallway; they seemed to go in a perfect line until they were masked by the darkness. Yami looked back towards the buckets, "O-Oh… Oh Ra… S-Shivers!"

Shivers looked up and noticed the pale expression Yami was wearing and the mess of blood at the boys' feet. He gasped suddenly, dropping his bucket and ran over to the spot, motioning Shakes to come over.

"Ah… it smells so good…" Bakura was in a light daze; drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"What the hell is this?" Marik motioned towards it, "You guys running a slaughter house or something?"

"Cool!" Bakura yelped.

Shivers' eyes narrowed and he said something to Shakes, making him wince. He turned around and grabbed the buckets, carrying them into the second hallway. Shivers watched as Marik watched Shakes go away, then when he turned around, Shivers redirected his attention to Yami who was swooning, ready to drop at any moment, "Shivers, I-I want an explanation right now! This blood… just everywhere, why?"

"…" His eyes shifted, "… I… Shakes probably dropped Lydia again on her head. On the way up the st- I mean, to the dump."

The three boys' eyes widened, but before they even said anything, Brittany had come running over flittering around, "What? Whatever do you mean? Did someone put my grandmamma in something of a dump? Is _that_ what you were saying? Where is she? Where?"

Shivers shivered, "Ms. Coe… I think you should-"

Brittany continued, "After everything that's happened the past seven hours, don't you think you could do something nice for me? I-I mean, he's killed my Grandmamma and you mean to tell me I can't go to her funeral?" She pointed at Yami.

"What? I told you, I tripped over her leg! I don't know what happened to your grandma! And I didn't kill her!" He shouted.

"Then who did?"

"I'm sure I don't know." Yami glanced over at Shivers, "But, if I were you, I'd ask the person who runs this blood-bath."

Shivers ignored this statement. "…"

"Oh…" Her eyes sparkled, and a sad melody beginning to play, "I remember all those soft summer nights when we would catch fireflies in the meadows… and bake cookies… and sit by the hearth and have all our heart to heart talks. She was so wise, so lovely to me… AND NOW YOU'RE TELLING ME SHE IS RESTING IN SOME _DUMP_!"

Brittany screeched the last word. And at that exact moment, as everyone else was covering their ears, a particularly strong bolt of lightning struck the antennae on the top of Motel 37's roof. The shock of a pure twenty thousand volts traveled down into the buildings power base and… click. All the lights and electricity shut off in the entire motel.

In the lobby, a few pairs of eyes blinked in the darkness. The man that was scooping out the water stopped and looked back at where he remembered seeing Shivers, "Uh, Mr. Shivers! I can't see. How am I supposed to get the water out?"

"Eek!" Brittany squeaked, "The water's rising! Shivers, I thought you said you could block the door!"

"I did and I can… but I can't see very well…" He waved his hand in front of his face to show his meaning, "It was just the circuit breaker, I'm sure. Someone has to go and switch it back on, then it'll be okay…"

Brittany huffed, fidgeting in the water, "Well, I'm not going! I've suffered enough."

"Maybe… Mr. _Marik_ could go…? It's just down that hallway." He pointed down the hallway that Shakes had gone down earlier, "You just go down the hallway about forty paces then go down the stairs and into the basement. It's on the wall."

Marik was uneasy about this. Not that he was afraid of the dark or anything, but it was just the way that Shivers suggested that he go. What was up with that? But, Marik was not one to back down from anything, "Fine. I'll just-"

"No!"

Everyone looked at Yami. He was barely visible, but his eyes were shining and so they knew it was him. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"I mean, no, Marik's not going, I am."

"What? You can't make those kinds of decisions for me!" Marik growled at him.

Bakura raised an eyebrow, "Why do you care if he goes or not?"

Yami looked up at Shivers, "Why do you want Marik to go, huh? I'll go. Do you have a problem with that?"

"… I… Well, I suggest Mr. Marik because, no offense, but he would probably have an easier time reaching the switch than you." Shivers glared at Yami, though it went unnoticed to everyone else, "You are a bit on the small size…"

At this, Marik and Bakura busted out laughing.

Yami huffed, "Fine! I'm going and there's nothing anyone can do about it! Marik… You stay with Bakura." He said finally and stormed off, the form that was partly visible, now completely gone.

Bakura rolled his eyes, "Jeez. What got into his pants?"

"Uh… water." Brittany faltered, trying to keep the cold water from coming all the way up her skirt. "That murderer needs to hurry it up, or my dress is gonna be ruined! And my Grandmamma gave this to me…"


	7. Darkness

Her Sweetness: Okay, here's the deal. I was looking at those hit things; you know what I'm talking about? The counter they put on the fanfics to monitor how many people have looked at the chapters. Right now, I have about 64 reviews. Do you know how many hits I have for this?

Over 400!

_Someone_ is not reviewing. And I am not happy.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 7:

"Ugh… Dammit, Marik, can't you see when I'm trying to do something nice for you?"

Yami growled to himself right before he'd hit the beginning of the hallway. Of course, the others weren't within hearing distance and so Marik didn't hear what Yami had said at all. But then, Yami didn't want him to hear. He'd just put up a fight and they'd spend ten minutes arguing over nothing. And that would delay Yami's journey to the basement to turn on the circuit breaker.

But don't get me wrong; he had no desire to go at all. The whole thing frightened him to death. If the floors weren't covered in water up to his waist, everyone would've seen his knees knocking together. The only reason he volunteered was because of Shivers' off suggestion towards Marik. The way he and Shakes had been starring at the boy did not go unnoticed. He didn't think it was exactly safe for Marik to go down this dark hallway, with that large man, Shakes, around, carry buckets of blood. Maybe it was just him… but it didn't sound like something good.

So he took the job instead, still thinking of himself as the Responsible One. It was a fact. It seemed to Yami that neither Marik nor Bakura had acquired this thing called 'common sense'. And they showed it in so many ways… If they were going to make it out of this motel with all their limbs, they were going to need at least one level head, yes?

Yami nodded to himself, stepping onto the red carpet. The lobby was in two feet of water, but the hallway went up a ramp and so there was mild dampness. Oddly enough, though, there were no candles in this hallway. Not like the other one with their rooms, which happened to have at least two candles every twenty feet. But here was straight darkness. And Yami wondered just how he was supposed to find the stupid fuse box.

'Let's see…' He thought, standing still for a moment, 'Shivers said that the basement was forty paces down here… and then there'd be stairs. And the basement should be right there… I sure hope it's as easy as he makes it sound.'

The boy put one shaky foot in front of the other. He wanted to count every step because the stairs might be on the forty-first step, and falling down the stairs face-first would not be something he'd want to do. Step number three, four, five… It was a good thing his hikari had taught him to count up to one hundred and two, or else he'd be in a bit of trouble. Step number ten, eleven, twelve…

_Yami…Yami, bring him…_

"Ah." Yami stopped, looking around himself wildly. The darkness remained still and unwavering. He took in a deep breath. 'I-I could've sworn… Something… someone said something.' Continuing his path down the hallway, faster than he began, he encountered a problem. He'd forgotten which number he'd stopped on. Being the smart Pharaoh that he was, he decided the best thing to do would be to go back to the lobby and start again. And just maybe he could get someone to accompany him.

He turned around and began walking in the direction of the lobby. It wasn't more than five feet back when he thought he'd heard something again. Yami cringed, taking a step back. The heel of his foot landed on something other than the floor, something rather hard. Yami straightened and lifted his hand up to his ear and felt something behind him. Something taller than him; breathing, heaving in and out.

"AAAHHHH!" Yami let out a terrified scream and ran, doubling back and sprinting down the hallway, running into a wall and falling down.

* * *

Somewhere, sunny and bright, on the coast of the Bahamas, the Chilly Water Resort was shining in the warmth of the sun. It was about twelve noon and there was not a cloud in the sky, just a lovely building admiring the brilliance of the crystal sea. Though it was such a wonderful day outside, three hikaris opted for the air-conditioned comfort of the indoors. All three receiving a manicure and pedicure, complements of the hotel staff.

They were relaxing in the room, cucumbers on their eyes and letting their facials set I as their feet rested in a small tub, full of minerals and oils. Three slightly pudgy ladies were taking care of their nails and cuticles as they leaned back in the leather chairs and taking in all of this pampering.

"Ah…" They sighed in unison.

Ryou smiled, "I don't understand why we don't just _stay_ on vacation…"

"Yeah…" Malik nodded slightly, "I see nothing wrong with that…"

"I'm sure our yamis won't miss us if we stay for another three weeks or so…" Yugi chimed in, sighing contently.

Both Ryou and Malik nodded in agreement.

"No more chores…"

"No more school…"

"No more hideously maiming innocents…"

"…!" Yugi and Ryou lifted their cucumbers and starred over at Malik. He looked around and shrugged. They winced at this seemingly non-caring expression and Malik pouted, "Oh, c'mon! Don't act like you guys don't do the same thing."

Yugi raised an eyebrow and was about to say something but before he could, a blue flash passed before his eyes. He gasped and shook his head, trying to clear some odd feeling he was having. His ears felt waterlogged and he tried to pop them, but didn't have much luck. Ryou noticed his friend's obvious discomfort and tapped him on the shoulder, "Yugi…?"

"I… I'm fine." He blinked a few times and smiled up at Ryou, Malik as well, "It was weird. I just thought I heard something."

"What was it?" Malik asked.

"Sounded a lot like Yami's voice, but I know it couldn't be. Hmm. I don't know, it sounded like he was upset… maybe he's hurt or something."

"Maybe he fell down some stairs, again?"

"Uh, no-"

"He probably got caught peeing on a cop car again."

"How did you-"

"Someone could've bitten his toe off again. By the way, did the last one ever grow back?"

"Not that I know of."

"That's a shame, how does he were those leather boots?"

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Yugi shouted, stopping the taller hikaris' conversation about his yami, "Just how do you two know about all that stuff Yami did? What, is it public knowledge or something?"

"Yugi," Malik looked at him, "Haven't you ever heard of tabloids?"

"B-But… Ah, never mind. I'm not going to ask. The point is that I think Yami is in danger. And Marik and Bakura might be too, you guys. I know Grandpa's there too, but still… Shouldn't we just see what's going on?"

Ryou blinked and then nodded, "Alright Yugi, I'm curious to know just what it is you're talking about."

"Malik?"

"Hmm? Oh, sure, I don't care."

Yugi beamed and pulled a little black cell phone from the fluffy white pocket of his robe. He flipped it open and dialed seven special numbers, his Grandfather's cell phone was the only one they had with them. He listened for a moment and it began to ring. One ring, two, three…

* * *

Somewhere in the winding hallways, the twisting corridors, the large Motel 37, something moved. Slightly. He starred up at what he thought was the ceiling. The darkness had stopped spinning and now he could see nothing just fine. Had he been knocked out? For how long? No, that wasn't possible. It had barely been ten minutes and for some reason his back was wet. He worried for a minute. Hopping with everything he had that his back, the leather shirt that he'd paid thirty dollars for, was not drenched in his own blood. Of course it'd be even worse if it was someone else's blood. Aids.

Yami gasped as liquid was now seeping into his choker. 'What?' He sat up and looked down, not being able to see, but knowing that this was not blood. It wasn't at all thick enough. Water.

"Oh no!" He stood in a hurry, "If the water's rising here then… the lobby must be over flowing! Okay, okay… gotta find the basement." Yami turned around and sighed. He'd forgotten that he didn't know which way was which now. He'd been running and that's why he came to on the floor. Something had made him run and scream. He jerked his head around, listening for a voice or waiting for a figure.

Suddenly, out of the darkness came a ball of soft, bouncing light. The orange glow came closer and Yami backed to the wall, squinting. He was about to take off again but before he could, a familiar voice sounded in his ears.

"Mr. Motou?" It was just Shakes. He was carrying a candle in his hand, and looking down at the frightened, spiky-haired boy. "Is that you?"

"Ah… Shakes. I-It's you. What are you doing down here?"

"… Well, sir, I came back to the lobby and everyone's in about five feet of water. Mr. Shivers was getting worried, his exact words were _Just bring him to the fuse box, it doesn't matter anymore, just bring him to the fuse box!_ And that's all he said."

Yami blinked, "Uh, hey, Shakes… Were you down here a little earlier? I mean, without the candle?"

"No. Mr. Motou, we should really be getting to the basement…" He started to walk past Yami, the bouncing candlelight going with him. Yami hurried after him, not wanting to be left alone again.

* * *

… The ninth ring. That was the ninth ring and the forth phone call. Not one was answered. The phone was heavy and uncomfortable in the overall's top pocket. Though the discomfort went unnoticed and so it was fine. It was tipping, though, the antennae had been peeking out of the pocket for almost four hours. It didn't fall, just hung their from the corner of the pocket by the left suspender. After the ringing, it jiggled a little and there was no one to tuck back into it's pocket.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Brown working boots were wet.

"…"

* * *

Water surrounded them as they almost floated off the ground. This was getting annoying. Having your shoes wet was something Bakura could handle. And yes, even having your pants wet was something that could be enjoyed. But swimming in name brand clothes was not something he wanted to handle or even wanted to think about. Ryou had told him these were dry-clean only. He was going to be furious.

"Alright. I'm not happy!" Bakura gurgled, planting his feet back on the underwater floor. He refused to be carried with the tide like a piece of lose seaweed, "Where the hell is that so-called Pharaoh!"

Marik was floating right next to him, "He's probably off playing tiddlywinks! I swear, when I get my hands on him… I knew I should've went, I just knew it! That bakayaro does nothing right. Hey, Shivers! Didn't you send your goon to get him?"

"…" Shivers was barely hovering above the surface. As before mentioned he was not a good swimmer and looked rather silly dogpaddling around the perimeter. So, he flipped his feet quietly back and forth, hoping to look somewhat dignified. "_Shakes _went off to help Mr. Motou to get to the basement. I assume he was lost. And besides that we can't wait any longer. If I cant patch up the door, then-"

"We can all kiss our butts goodbye." Bakura finished.

Shivers glanced over at Bakura, shaking his head. "Ahem. Mr. Marik, I do agree. It should have been _you_ to go…"

"C-CAN'T SWIM! I-I CAN'T SWIM!" Brittany was doing her best to stay afloat. She wasn't doing to well and kept bumping into the wall in the darkness. She sincerely hopped there were no water snakes.

"Shouldn't someone help her?" The other man asked, whose name, Marik and Bakura found out, was Tim, "She might be drowning."

"Eh, let her. I've got my own problems." Marik frowned, trying to fix his hair. He used nowhere near as much gel as Yami did, but his could just as easily be washed out by water.

Suddenly the entire room was lit. Florescent lighting from the bare bulbs on the ceiling shown down on the murky water. Marik and Bakura looked at each other, laughing in unison about the condition of each other's hair. They then frowned and consulted each other on which gel to use to prevent these kinds of accidents.

"Oh, I use the same kind Yami and Yugi do, it's just I use a lot less."

"My hair is naturally spiky, I just need a few globs of _Sassy Girl Gel_ every morning and I'm good to go. I really don't know how I survived this morning, but I guess I was just lucky."

Marik eyed Bakura, getting a little freaked out. That was not something just anyone said to anyone else. 'This kind of secret must be handled with care,' He thought.

"Bakura, whatever your problem is, I bet it's hard to pronounce."

"…!"

"H-Hi, everyone!" Panted Yami, swimming over. He had just come sprinting down the hallway and leapt into the water, wanting to get out of there as fast as he could. He noticed that Shivers was making Tim and Brittany pail out all the water. They decided to help too. Yami saved what he had to tell them for later.


	8. They're all Crazy

Her Sweetness: Hello, there. I'm feeling better now. I was a bit ticked last time but now I'm as chipper as a dipper! … Well, not really. But I'm okay.

Let's see… Oh yes, and let me just say that I am now on the look out for a **Beta Reader**! So, if anyone has nothing better to do, I'd really appreciate it.

Now, on with my latest addition! (And leave a _review_, for Ra's sake!)

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 8:

"Hmm… That's odd, there's no answer."

Yugi stuck his cell phone back into his pocket and sighed. He'd called about five times in a row and let it ring for ten times each, but still nothing.

Ryou and Malik exchanged a glance, "Um… Maybe your Grandpa is asleep?"

"At four in the afternoon?"

Malik shrugged, "Hey, he's old. Old people need naps."

Yugi slumped down in his chair, sighing as he did so, "I don't feel so good, you guys…"

"Maybe it was the day-old guacamole you licked off Ryou's face?"

The boy glared and blushed slightly, "I _mean_ the fact that no one has answered. And then that feeling I got from Yami earlier, it felt weird. Malik, I know you probably don't worry about Marik… and maybe you shouldn't… But, Ryou, don't you think Bakura could be in some sort of distress?"

"I… Well, now that you mention it, I have been thinking… But, no, he's fine, I'm almost positive."

"They're fine! Oh, c'mon, don't tell me you're thinking about calling off our vacation _again_…! Yugi, Ryou, listen to me… they can take care of themselves. Isn't it about time we let them be grown ups and take responsibility? Bakura and Yami are five thousand years old!"

"…" Ryou blinked, "Marik is about six, really."

"T-That's not the point!"

Yugi nodded to himself, "You know, Malik, when you think about it, people could consider you a cradle-robber."

"…!" Malik sweatdropped, his eyes wide with realization and so much confusion, "… I… I'm a bad person."

* * *

It took forever. And forever seems like a short time when people promise things for forever. But when you're doing manual labor like taking about a ton of rainwater from point A to point B with only a bucket in your hand, forever seems long and highly overrated. And forever took its toll on the boys' arms, their torsos, and their bodies. And besides that, they'd had nothing to eat. Shivers declared lunch cancelled until dinnertime so they could clean out the kitchen. Which means that lunch would just be changed to dinner, and then what would that make dinner? They didn't care.

"Oh… I think my arms have fallen off. Someone pick them up for me." Marik groaned, flopping down onto the bed.

Bakura's head quickly jerked downwards. He saw no missing limbs or dripping of life's fluid. He pouted, turning back around and mumbled, "Liar."

As they lay on the bed, side by side and arguing half-heartedly, Yami came bouncing inside the room. Bakura and Marik looked warily at the boy whose grin was as wide as the Nile. He shut the door behind him and eagerly climbed onto the bed right in front of the two taller yamis.

Before they good yell at him for climbing over their bodies, he shushed them, "Listen, I have to tell you something…!" He claimed, excitedly, "Remember when I said that I heard someone calling my name last night?"

A giggle escaped Bakura's lips.

"Stop that! Anyway, I heard it again when I was in that strange hallway on the other side of the lobby! And I hear what it said, it said _Yami, bring him_."

"Oh, Yami…!" Marik groaned, turning away from the Pharaoh.

"Yeah, just like that!" Yami nodded and Marik sweatdropped, "I didn't get a chance to say anything back, cause then I got scared because someone was in there with me, I felt them."

Bakura starred up at him, "… You know I think you're stupid, right?"

"What? Don't tell me you don't believe me! You guys!"

"Don't worry, Yami, I believe you." Marik said then mumbled, "Basket case."

That statement did not go unnoticed by Yami as he folded his arms, pouting. "I can't believe you would be so callous as to not believe someone who's always told you the truth!"

Somehow, Marik found the strength in his forearms to lift himself up to Yami's eyelevel, "No, I choose not to believe someone who was caught kneeling over a bleeding old lady, wants to go into the darkness, and is talking about a voice telling him to bring someone!"

"Stop acting, Marik, you beat up old ladies all the time!"

"For good reasons!"

"_What_ good reasons!"

Marik sat back and thought, "Well, usually because I need soda money."

Yami threw his arms into the air, "Oh, I give up! You are the most impossible person I've ever met!"

"Ahem…" Bakura cleared his throat.

"…Oh. And Bakura, I can't stand you either!"

"Thank you."

"Well, I couldn't care one bit about anything you have to say, my Pharaoh!" Marik glared daggers at the back of Yami's head and turned around. Leaving Yami facing one way and Marik facing the other and Bakura in the middle complaining about the lack of blood that had been shed.

_BOOM!_

Another strong bolt of lightning flashed yet again and both Marik and Yami jumped up and in mid-shriek, landed with a thud on Bakura's back. He screeched in pain as the lay there, one odd-looking dog pile. One of those thing that make you stare when you're driving and you crash into someone else who makes you pay five hundred dollars for something that wasn't even your fault, because – Sorry.

"R-Ra…!" Bakura squeaked out, his face turning purple, "I don't think _someone_ here has heard of Weight Watchers! Damn!"

Yami lifted his head, giving a dignified expression to the two boys on either side of him, "I weigh 102 pounds, thank you very much."

"Does that include the hair?"

"Oh!"

"Heh heh." Marik and Bakura gave each other a high five.

"Oh, shut up, the both of you."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door and not a second later, the door opened and Shivers came peeking inside, "Sirs, I must request that… you… Oh my. I should come back at a better time?" His eyes rested on the bed where Yami was sandwiched between Bakura and Marik. All three of the boys starring at Shivers who starred back. He began to slowly close the door. "Just remember to put the _Do Not Disturb_ sign up next time…" He mumbled before closing the door all the way.

There was silence in the room as the boys looked at each other.

"AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Marik and Bakura broke into a roar of laughter and rolled onto the floor, slamming their fists into the ground, both faces turning colors from lack of breath.

"…!" Yami was a bright pink as he rushed off the bed, kicking at Bakura as he opened the door. He'd wanted Shivers to come back so he could tell him it'd been a big mistake. The last thing he needed was _that _on his résumé.

"Hey, Shiver's come…" He stopped when he saw Shivers in the hallway talking to Shakes. He backed up into the shadow of the wall and tried his best to hear what they were saying.

"… Sir, the Dark boys?"

Shivers cleared his throat, "Ahem… Ah, they are indisposed at the moment."

"Indisposed, Mr. Shivers?"

"Not now, Shakes… Now, about Mrs. Coe. You're sure she's been taken?"

Shakes nodded, "Yes, they thought she was-"

Yami stepped out into the dim candlelight. They stopped their conversation and turned to face him. Shivers whispered something to Shakes and he disappeared around the corner. Yami looked back at the man in the tux, "Um… Shivers, I just wanted to tell you that what you saw back there… that was NOT what it looked like-"

"Oh, I know…" Shivers rolled his eyes, "You were just wrestling."

"Yes – I mean, no! See, the thunder came down and then-"

"You got so scared and figured, _What the heck, we might not live through this!_ Isn't that correct?" Shivers turned around, fitting his white gloves, "I've heard this I can't tell you how many times."

Yami pouted and mumbled, "Not what happened…"

"Now… we've got the kitchen and dinning hall cleaned out. You and your companions may come and join us if you would like." He turned and went up a flight of stairs down the hallway.

As the spiky-headed boy watched him go, he stood still in the hallway before going and fetching Marik and Bakura. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Maybe if he stood in the quiet, in the deep quiet, he'd hear that voice again. Yami's eyes were shut tight in frustration and he gritted his teeth, knowing this might not work. 'C'mon,' He thought, harshly, 'Say something…'

"Yami."

"Ah, I knew it!" Yami looked up and saw Bakura, frowning down at him, "… Oh. Hi, Bakura."

He rolled his eyes, "Whatever. Anyway, let's go, Marik's waiting for us at the dinning hall."

"How'd he know?"

"We overheard you trying to cover your butt with Shivers." Bakura smirked, and began walking, Yami tagging along, "That was pathetic."

"Um… Hey, Bakura. Maybe it's something of little importance, but… You see when I was out here, before Shivers and Shakes saw me, I overheard them talking and they said something about _Dark_ boys. I think they were talking about us."

"… So? We are yamis… Yami. Damn, that's a tongue-twister."

"B-But how could he know that?" Yami insisted. "He's never met us before, knows nothing about us! It doesn't make sense, Bakura, aren't you the least bit curious?"

"No, I'm hungry."

"Ah… But…" He stopped when they reached the dining hall and Bakura took his seat, in between Marik and Yami so there would be no fighting. Yet again Shivers came out of the kitchen, wheeling a silver cart with four bowls of that disgusting foot and tomato soup. And that's when Yami noticed something. It was oddly quiet in the room and the one thing that made it loud was… gone?

"Where's Brittany?" Yami demanded of Shivers.

He stopped in his tracks and gave Marik a quick glance, who growled in return, and he looked over to Yami, "… Ms. Coe is no longer with us."

Marik raised an eyebrow, "Damn. Somebody's working fast."

"…" Yami's eyes widened like a deer caught in headlights, "What…? Again? Someone has died again? That's… that's unbelievable! There's a murder in this motel!"

"Mr. Motou calm down-"

"Don't you tell me to calm down! Someone's lurking in the shadows killing people and you, being the owner, should be most concerned! Instead, you're standing here trying to shove soup down our throats! I wont stand for this!"

Bakura was leaning back in his chair, "Hmm. That's not right… People are going through extreme amounts of pain and suffering and we have nothing to do with it. What's the world coming to?"

Yami looked down at Bakura, mouth agape, "C-Crazy people… You're all nuts! You're a bunch of loonies! People are _dying_! This place is a boiling blood bath about to erupt! I've had it! I'm calling our hikaris and we're going home right NOW!"

He stormed out of the room, going down the hallway and into the darkness, probably heading back to their room. It was silent for a moment after he left and after that moment had passed, Bakura turned to Marik and asked, "Who's he calling crazy?"


	9. No better than Micheal Jackson

Her Sweetness: Hey, guys, here we are again. And I would like to introduce you to someone you all know so well… and someone you may not know, but I doubt it. Anyway, meet my new Beta Reader, is Miss **Heidi**! (Yeah, yeah, the mastermind behind _Friendship Journal_.)

Shameless advertising! Huzzah.

Okay, so, now that's over with, let's get this show on the road.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 9:

Yami grumbled and shouted Egyptian curses on his way down the hallway. He'd left the dining room less than a moment ago and the last thing he heard someone say was 'Who is he calling crazy?' Yami thought it might've been Bakura, but maybe it was Marik. He couldn't stand either one of them, so it didn't matter. They just seemed so calm when people were dropping like flies!

"…!" Then it hit Yami like a ton of bricks. If people were being murdered, then someone would have to be doing the murdering. And that meant that person would have to be in the building, right? Who ever heard of someone murdering from out in the rain? Yami gulped and thought, 'Maybe it was that voice… Maybe it was that _body_ I felt in the hallway. Oh damn it all!'

He stopped and noticed his surroundings. While he'd been storming down the hallway, fuming mad, he wasn't afraid of anything, not even thinking about it, really. But now, just when the notion of someone being there with him, not being seen, was enough to have the boy trembling, twirling around to check every angle. Although this proved harder than he thought, candles being scarce, far and few between. And of course, now he wondered if that murderer had gotten to his Grandpa. He sincerely hoped Grandpa was somewhere, anywhere, hiding and safe.

_Yami, please… Please, Yami…!_

His back straightened and suddenly he was even afraid to move. But this had been what he was waiting for, right? He had to get this voice to tell him something- anything about who or what it was. Yami took in a shaky breath, turning towards the darkness that surrounded him, "W-Who… who are you…?" It sounded like more of a whimper than a question.

_Bring him to me… I am…_

"What?" The whisper of that voice faded and soon Yami relaxed, thinking he'd been left alone. He blinked again, he'd been distracted from what he earlier came here to do. What was it again? Oh, that's right. Yami turned around and began walking. He could've sworn that when they first came into Motel 37, he saw a payphone around here, somewhere. He ended up back at their rooms and saw a metallic box hanging from the wall, across the hallway.

He strolled over, taking a moment to try and pull a quarter out of his leather pants. "What? Oh, come on…" It was stuck for a moment, then he ripped it out with all his might, thus tearing a bit of a hole… "… No one's gonna notice that."

The quarter went in and Yami dialed his hikari's cell number.

* * *

The sun was setting on the horizon over the sparkling water. All three hikaris were currently on inline skates and rolling peacefully down the boardwalk. Ryou and Yugi decided that it would be fun to go outside and enjoy the fresh air, as nice as it was. But the real reason they wanted to go was to get Malik out of his depression. Since that remark that Yugi made about him being a 'cradle-robber', Malik had slipped into a depression pretty deep.

They decided that the only way to make him forget about that was to get him out in the open.

Yugi skated along happily and did a little twirl, Malik, on the other hand, was skating like a zombie. Ryou looked at him and nudged the blonde with his elbow, "Malik? What's wrong?"

"I _am_ a cradle-robber…!" He moaned, holding his head.

"Oh, you are not! You can't honestly take it seriously, me and Yugi were playing!"

"I'm no better than Michael Jackson!" Malik scratched the back of his head, "But I might not get off so easy…"

"Ugh! Yugi, please, tell Malik that he is NOT a cradle-robber."

"Huh?" Yugi looked back at the two and skated into a trashcan that was as tall as he was. He did a front flip right into it, his feet sticking out of the top, the wheels still rolling, "I… I'm okay…" Came the weak voice.

"Yugi!" Ryou ran over to him and Malik helped, lifting the boy out of the garbage. He had Popsicle sticks poking out of his hair, but otherwise he was no worse than before. As Yugi smiled meekly, his pocket started to jiggle, a little jingle accompanying it. Yugi blinked and Ryou and Malik put the boy back on the ground, so he could answer it. He flipped his cell phone open, "Hello? Yami!"

"Yes, hello, Yugi." Came his hushed voice.

"Oh, you don't know how glad I am to hear from you! You know, I was really worried, are you calling from Grandpa's cell phone? Because I called earlier and it just rang and rang."

"Listen, Yugi, I have bad news… Um, we would appreciate it very much if you came and picked us up."

The boy blinked and looked at the other two hikaris. Unfortunately, they didn't notice. Ryou was too busy trying to keep Malik from jumping into the ocean and drowning himself. He turned back to the phone and asked, "Yami, why? Did something happen?"

"Ahem… Yugi, this motel we're staying at… Three people have been killed already… and Grandpa was the first to go missing."

"…….."

"… Y-Yugi? Yugi!"

The cell phone dropped to the floor of the boardwalk and Yugi fell backwards, hit the railing and almost fell into the ocean. If it wasn't for Ryou, who had one hand trying to keep Yugi up and another trying to keep Malik sane. While Malik was clawing at the open sea, screaming, "Just let me die! Let me die!", Ryou sighed and whispered, "I believe I've lost them both."

* * *

"Yugi! Yugi, are you there?"

Yami yelled into the receiver and the line went dead in less than two seconds. The last thing he heard was what sounded like Ryou, yelling at someone to get a grip on their life. And that was it. He hoped that Yugi got the message before the line went dead. He didn't know if they could survive the rest of the night.

"…" He sighed and silently banged his head on the wall, "Not good, not good, not good…!"

Suddenly, he heard some odd laughter coming from a distance. Yami 'meeped' and hid behind the payphone. Which really didn't work because the only part hidden was his head… Even his hair was sticking out.

From around the corner came Bakura and Marik talking about something (probably a dirty joke). They stopped in their tracks and saw a leather body, minus the head, with points of red and black and blonde sticking out from a black and silver payphone.

Bakura rolled his eyes and tiptoed over, Marik behind him and stifling his giggles. Bakura grinned when he peeked around the black box and saw Yami, eyes shut, knees knocking and holding his breath. The Tomb Robber waved Marik over and they counted mutely, 1, 2, 3…!

"BOO!"

"AAAHHH!" Yami screamed and ran… smack into a wall.

Marik shook his head in pity, "… This is too sad to even laugh at."

"Huh….?" Yami blinked a few times and looked up, seeing a blurry Marik and Bakura starring down at him. He scrambled to his feet and jerked his head from side to side, "H-Hey, did you guys see anything around here? I swear, something just came and scarred the living daylights out of me!"

"That was US you idiot!" They shouted at him.

"… What?" Yami tilted his head, "Why would you do something so mean!"

"Because you're stupid!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are…" Before the boys finished their sentence, their heads went drifting to the side, looking at something apparently interesting on Yami.

He looked down at himself, "What?"

"Your butt is showing." Bakura pointed out and Marik nodded in agreement.

"Oh." Yami twisted around and, indeed, where he had ripped his pants earlier, there was an exposition of pale flesh, "Oh, yeah. I ripped these damned things with a quarter."

"You know, Malik could make those like brand new." Marik said.

Yami looked up, "Yeah? I saw him do a pair of spandex on this fat man before, so leather wouldn't surprise me. He's talented."

"Yeah, I guess. But I don't need fat man-spandex talents, I need world dominating talents."

He laughed, "Everything's useful."

Marik nodded.

"STOP!" Bakura's eyes were wide as he starred at the two, gasping for breath and grasping at his heart. "What the hell was that?"

"What?" They asked in unison.

"You two actually had a _civilized _conversation! _Without_ fighting!"

Silence followed as the two boys starred at each other.

Marik was the first to turn away and fake-gagged, "No way! I did no such thing!"

"Neither did I!" Yami faced the other way as well, "That's just sick and disturbing!"

"Yeah, well you suck!"

"You suck even more!"

"… There we go." Bakura sighed, contently, "Back to our happy family."

"SHUT UP!"

* * *

Somewhere in Motel 37, on the other side of the building was a room. Due to the flood that happened earlier in the day, this particular room was covered in about three to five inches of water. There was something in that room that stirred. _Someone_ in that room that moved his elbow slightly to the left, and off of his knee. It slipped and he fell with a thud onto the linoleum floor. "Oomph!" He cried, his face a brilliant red from the smack of the hard floor, though the water took most of the hurt away.

He blinked furiously and looked around, "W-Where am I?" The old man recognized his surroundings almost immediately and remembered what had happened. He'd gone to the bathroom after helping that Shivers fellow out in the kitchen the other day and fell asleep on the toilet. Of course, there was nothing to be ashamed of. That's what happens when there is no good reading material in a public bathroom.

He pulled his pants up and waded through the water, opening the door. Blinking, he'd forgotten how dark it was in this awful place. He stepped out of the bathroom and into the hallway, only one candle was visible, mounted on the wall. Thinking he might need it to get back to his and Yami's room, he took it and started down the dark hallway.

Not going very far at all, his travels were interrupted by voices. 'Hey, maybe that's one of the boys!' He thought and followed the sound. This mysterious voice led him to an even darker hallway with one door cracked open. He peeked in just a tad and saw that Shivers fellow with another man, talking, in a rather large room, surrounded by books.

"… But, sir, didn't the short Dark boy say he was calling out somewhere and they were going home?" Said the man, standing by Shivers' large chair.

"No. Even if they did call out, due to this weather, there's no way anyone could get out here before tomorrow. It's going to happen tonight, I can feel it."

"How do you know?"

"I have a feeling Mr. Motou has been hearing _It_. That's why he's so frazzled. But there's no way we're letting this one go, he's perfect."

"But, Mr. Marik might not-"

Shivers smirked, "Trust me, this time it's going to be different. Marik won't get out of here; he's the one we need."

The old man outside the door, blinked and wondered just what they meant by that. He decided it couldn't be good, not good at all. Speed walking away, he hopped that he could tell Yami and the others what he heard in time.


	10. All My Children

Her Sweetness: Hello all. I got a great response to the last chapter, which made me feel warm fuzzies all over. Though, I was a bit lazy with writing this chapter, here's hoping that it gets posted soon.

… I like posting once a day. It gives me even more fuzzies. But I had writer's block with this chapter and so it didn't get out when I planned.

Okay, then, lets get going!

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 10:

"Yugi…? Yugi, wake up."

Ryou lightly tapped the side of the young hikari's face. Earlier, after Yugi had heard the news that his yami had given him, he fainted on the spot and almost went over the railing and into the ocean. But Ryou caught him before he did. And then Malik began to attempt suicide and almost succeeded, if it he hadn't been detained by Ryou and a local policeman. Trying to calm his best friend down, Ryou forgot all about Yugi. And he did eventually drop into the sea.

No one even noticed until they saw a rather large flock of seagulls dive to the water's surface. They thought Yugi was a large sea bass and tried to eat him. Ryou, being an ex-lifeguard, jumped in to rescue him and pulled him to the shore. All the while, Malik had climbed to the top of a nearby rooftop and shouted to the women shopping below, "Michael Jackson, we are one!"

Everyone scattered.

Now, back in their hotel room, Ryou was trying revive Yugi. Malik was sitting on his bed, hugging his legs to his chest and rocking himself in a steady motion.

"Mmm…" Yugi's eyes fluttered open and he looked up at Ryou, "… R-Ryou?"

"Oh, good! You're awake. You passed out, you know. And fell into the ocean." Ryou lifted his hand from the boy's cheek and smiled cheerfully.

Yugi sat up fully now and looked over at Malik who was obviously not okay, "W-What's wrong with Malik?"

"… Um, oh." Ryou frowned and then tried to smile once again, "He's just gone crazy. He'll be back soon."

"Bad boy, bad boy, bad boy, bad boy…" Malik chanted.

"Ah." Yugi raised an eyebrow and looked back at Ryou. He remembered the reason he'd fainted, and it wasn't something he'd care to repeat, but… He knew they had to leave and soon, "Ryou… um, Yami called and he told me something. I-I almost can't believe it…"

"Hmm? What's wrong, Yugi?"

"… I-It's Grandpa… Yami said three people have been killed and Grandpa was the first to go missing!"

Ryou 's eyes went wide and he covered his mouth with both hands, "No…! You're joking…!"

"Uh-uh. Yami says he wants us to pick him up…" Yugi sniffed, rubbing at his eye with one hand, "This just isn't right. How could they allow Grandpa to _die_! It's a motel! And they're supposed to be looking after one-another!"

Ryou nodded, patting Yugi on the back, "It's okay, Yugi… Just let it all out."

Yugi balled his fists and stood up, "POURQUOI!"

"I know, I know…" The other boy sighed and stood with Yugi, "I guess that means we should go get our yamis before they die, too, yes?"

"Humph! I have a good mind to just leave Yami there…"

"Oh, Yugi, you don't mean that!"

"Like hell I don't. I don't appreciate it when my family members die because of the idiocy of my other half. I swear, he can't do anything without me holding his hand. He's such a child!"

"OH! A CHILD! IT'S NOT FAIR!" Malik wailed, falling onto the floor and rolling around and around.

Whilst Malik let out his sobs on the floor, and Yugi was shouting obscenities in French, Japanese, and Arabic, Ryou sighed and turned around, grabbing a suitcase. "I suppose I'll pack, then…"

* * *

By this time, the yamis were back in their room. After that conversation between Yami and Marik… (you know, the _normal_ one) the boys did not speak to each other for fear of saying something kind or at least civil. That was a road _no one_ wanted to do down again. But after about five minutes of silence and starring, their restlessness kicked into hyper drive.

"So why were you out there anyway, Pharaoh?" Bakura asked, lying back onto a pillow next to Marik. Yami preferred to keep his distance, though, and was sitting in a lumpy, red chair.

"… I had to use the payphone."

Marik blinked, "Yami, I would expect you to know that pizza men can't come in this kind of weather."

"No pizza! I was calling our hikaris…"

"…" Bakura sat up, dumping Marik off his chest and onto the floor. "What for?"

"Because! If they don't come and pick us up, we might not make it till tomorrow morning! And as much as I hate the idea of leaving Grandpa in this place, we cannot stay here!"

"You are such a wuss." Marik scowled up at Bakura and rubbed the back of his head, "Nothing's going to happen. We're in a hotel with a bunch of people who die because they fall down stairs."

This time, both Yami and Bakura looked at the boy, "… What the hell? What makes you think that?"

"Think about it. Remember that old lady? Remember how her ankles were cut and it was bleeding heavily?"

"Oh, yeah…" Bakura moaned, a river of drool flowing down his shirt.

Marik raised an eyebrow and continued, "Ahem. Anyways. Those cuts could have only come from her tripping down the stairs. And I'd bet that's where Gramps is as well. At the bottom of one of the staircases, moaning and writhing in pain and agony. Heh heh… agony."

"I already told you, Marik, he's in the bathroom." Bakura said, examining his nails, "And when I win the bet, you know what I get…!" He taunted.

"In your dreams. I'm going to win."

"Both of you just cut it out!" Yami yelled, standing up, "Stop treating Grandpa like he was yesterday's weather report! I'll prove it to you! He's not at the bottom a staircase and he's not in the bathroom!"

"Wait, what are you-" Before Bakura could finish his sentence, Yami had gotten up and had ran out of the door. The door banged against the back of the wall, back and forth and slowly came to a halt.

Marik and Bakura looked at each other. "So… how long do you think it'll take him before he comes back?"

Bakura thought, "About ten minutes."

"I say four minutes. Wanna bet on it?"

"We've already bet our hikaris, what else do we have?"

"Mmm… I say our hikaris' clothes!"

"Right on!" They shook hands, "This is going to be fun."

As soon as the words came out of the boy's mouth, Yami's face peeked around the corner of the open door. His cheeks stained with blush, he shuffled his feet back and forth and whispered, "C-Can someone come with me…?"

"Boom, baby! Oh yeah!" Marik jumped off the bed and pointed at Bakura, "Ryou's clothes are mine!"

"What? No!"

"You guys…!" Yami whined, "Grandpa's not going to wait forever. Let's go." He stomped his foot and walked out of the room, both boys groaning and followed. When they got out into the hallway, Yami was already speed walking and was beginning to turn a corner.

"Oh, here we go again…!" Marik groaned, both he and his friend walking behind the spiky haired teen. He seemed pretty confident in where he was going, although he'd never seemed this way before. Marik blinked, "Hey, Pharaoh, how come you're not your usual chickeny self?"

He glared back at the boy; "I'm never a chicken, you big bully! I'm just cautious. And you know, it wouldn't hurt you two to be a bit more careful… People are dying in the same motel that you're staying in, doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"… Well. I suppose it is a little scary when it's not me who's doing the killing." Bakura said thoughtfully.

Marik nodded in agreement, "I guess. But I'm trying not to think about it. Although it's not working thanks to Mr. We're All Going To Die!"

"Well, _excuse_ me for being concerned about everyone involved."

Bakura grinned and looked at Yami as they turned down another corner and went down a flight of stairs, "Hey… If we don't make it out of here alive… How do you think we're gonna die?"

"W-What!" Yami turned around and starred at Bakura, mouth agape, "Don't say that! We're going to be fine!"

Marik smirked, inching towards the smaller, trembling yami, "I dunno, Yami… After all, it was you who said we're all in big danger. That there's a murderer in here… voices. And of course, you've got to wonder… Will he slash or hang us?"

"Stop it! Just stop it right now, you awful person! I know what you're trying to do and it isn't working. I stand by what I said. I heard that voice again and it's telling me to bring something… I just don't know what."

"Whatever you say…"

* * *

"Hmm…" The old man was wondering the shadows. His previous excitement about finding the boys was almost gone. How would he expect to find anything in this godforsaken darkness? And he'd managed to get a candle from the wall, sure, but what help was one candle when he had a four-story motel to search?

But there was one thing he remembered about their whereabouts. Their room was on the second floor. And he knew that the bathroom he was in before was on the third floor. He'd gone down to flights of stairs, so he was on the first floor. Now all he had to do was go back up and search the second floor. Then maybe, he'd find the boys.

As he got to another staircase, he thought he'd heard something. A voice? Oh, now it's three voices. And they're arguing! This was probably the best sound that he'd heard all day. In a dusty old, weird-looking motel, who else but Yami, Marik and Bakura could be arguing with such a passion? It was music to his hearing aid.

He climbed the stairs and, though his voice was a bit weak, called their names.

* * *

Meanwhile, the yamis were in the middle of a hallway. They'd stopped walking because of the fact the Marik didn't believe Yami knew where he was going. And he didn't. And that's when the problem arose.

"I cannot believe you took us from our room to go out here and get lost!" Bakura shouted at the boy.

"It was not my intention to get us lost, you big fat meanie! I thought we were going the right way… Besides, this is where I heard that voice before, I think. When you hear it, you'll-"

Marik slapped Yami on the side of the head, "Get it through your pitifully small brain, Pharaoh! There is no voice, there is no ghost! There is just you and two other yamis who want very much to skin you alive!"

Yami sniffed, tearfully and held back a sob, "Y-You… you don't believe m-m-me… do you…! Guh… Eh…"

"Aw, dammit, look what you did, Marik!"

"What I did? It's not my fault, he-"

"AaaAAaAAaa…! Augh…! I-It's not f-fair…!" He became a fountain right then and there, tears falling rapidly to the floor and making somewhat of a puddle.

"Ah… Hey, calm down, Yami." Bakura scratched the back of his head, thinking of something. Then he got an idea. This always worked when Ryou became upset. Bakura stretched his face and wiggled in front of the crying Pharaoh, "Nani nani nani! We're going to be happy today! Nani, nani, nani!"

Marik looked on in disbelief as Yami stopped his blubbering and watched Bakura intently. "…" Yami blinked.

The blonde clutched at his heart. _Bakura_ being motherly? Sickeningly motherly? "I… I think I'm having an out-of-body experience."

_Yami! Bakura! Marik!_

Suddenly a voice came from somewhere nearby. The three boys looked around, apparently, they'd heard it at the same time. The voice sounded awful. Scratchy and hoarse, almost a moan.

"Oh, crap!" Bakura jumped on Marik, landing in his arms, "What the hell was that!"

Yami blinked twice and took a step behind Marik, "Um… I don't like the sound of that…"

_Yami! Bakura! Marik! Come to me…!_

"Gah!" Yami squealed and jumped on top of Bakura. All this extra weight that Marik was carrying wasn't doing anything nice for his lower back. Yami cuddled up to Marik and Bakura's chests. "W-We should get out of here! Now!"

"Good idea!" Marik dumped both boys on the floor as the voice neared and he ran off in the opposite direction.

"Marik, you idiot, get back here!" Bakura yelled, running after him.

Yami scrambled up after them both, "W-Wait for me!"

Not two seconds later when the boys had gone off, a tired old man appeared in the spot where they once were. "Hey… Where'd everybody go?"


	11. Prune Pie

Her Sweetness: I just came out of a twenty-minute depression in which I did nothing but lay on my bed, mope, listen to the radio and think about Marik and Malik stories that I want to do. I have been burdened with the thought of yet another plot bunny and so, I am at wit's end.

But please, ignore my ramblings and I'm sure someday I'll be as chipper as a dipper.

Later.

* * *

Motel 37 

Chapter 11:

The boys panted, nearly out of breath, as they slowed to a halt in the middle of the dark hallway. After hearing that voice, they scattered like nobody's business. Marik being the first person to actually jump over Bakura to get to safety. They wanted to get back to their room and lock the door, but in their excitement and disorientation, they'd gone the wrong way, ending up on the third floor.

When they couldn't hear someone calling after them anymore, Marik stopped and so did the other two.

"O… Okay, Yami…" Bakura sighed, sliding down onto the ground. "I guess… I guess I believe you about the voices thing."

Marik said nothing, only scowling at the fact that Yami was right and he was wrong.

"But… That wasn't the voice I heard earlier." Yami blinked, looking back into the darkness.

"What? You mean there's more than _one_ voice!"

"I guess… I know for sure that wasn't the one calling my name before. This one was all… strange sounding and the one from before was very cold. They're not the same."

"Well, if that's the case, I say we just get back to the room, barricade the door and wait till morning." Bakura nodded to himself.

"Okay… But does anyone know where our room might be?"

"…" Silence followed.

"Perfect. This is just perfect, we're in a motel, trapped with voices, no one knows where our room is and our old man is missing. This is seems to be some sort of curse with us." Marik put his hands on his hips and looked around, "I guess we could always just wander around till we get murdered."

"Stop it…!" Yami growled, but it came out as more of a whine, "Look, it's simple, we'll just find Shivers and ask him to take us back to our room."

"Yeah, well you can go without me." Marik protested, "I can't stand that guy. He looks at me like I'm a piece of meat."

Bakura raised a finger to the other boy, "Don't flatter yourself, Marik. I'd rather have a steak than you any day."

"Humph!"

"Uh, let's go." Yami pointed towards the darkness, "The faster we get going, the faster we'll be there."

Bakura shoved his hands in his pockets and began walking. Eventually Yami came after him, followed by Marik who took his time, looking at the walls and the back of Yami's spiky head. It actually wasn't a bad view, Marik thought. It reminded him of a bowl of fruit. With extra pineapples, of course.

"…!" Marik shook these thoughts from his head. Hanging around this pain in the butt was getting to him. He figured he must've not been mean enough today. Sure, he made Yami cry, but wasn't there something else he could do? He grinned to himself, about to whack Yami over the head with his millennium rod, but before he did, Yami stopped in his tracks, causing Marik to tumble over the boy and his spiky hair.

"Argh! Pharaoh, what the hell are you doing?" He yelled from the floor.

"Wait, listen…" Yami said, raising a finger and looking up.

By this time, Bakura had turned around to see just how his fellow yamis were portraying their stupidity now. "What's he…?" He looked at Yami questionably, not finishing his sentence.

_Bring the Dark one… Yami, bring the Dark… Marik…_

"There!" Yami squealed, ducking back and hiding behind Bakura, "Listen, didn't you hear it? That's the voice I was talking about!"

"What voice?" Marik jumped off the floor and tilted his head, listening. He and Bakura stayed that way for a moment before Marik looked back at Yami, "… You're a freak and a half."

"No! Please, you can't tell me you didn't hear it! It was loud and clear!" Yami whined, "Marik, it even said your name! It said, and I quote, _Bring the Dark one… Yami, bring the Dark… Marik…_C'mon! Don't tell me you couldn't hear your own name!"

Marik and Bakura starred at each other. They started to walk off, but not before looking down at Yami and saying in a somber tone, "You are a sad, sad little man."

"What? No! Wait, come back!" The Pharaoh tripped over his own two feet, trying to catch up.

* * *

"I can't believe we've had to cancel our _second_ vacation!" Ryou exclaimed, sitting down next to Yugi and Malik on the tram. It was taking them to the airport on account of their cars were still in Domino. The tram began to move and they were soon on the street, taking one longing last look at the Chilly Water Resort, knowing they'd probably never be back. 

Yugi turned away and cringed, "Ooh, when I see that other half of mine, I will _throttle_ him! This is it! This is the last time I'm dealing with him! No more!"

Malik had been rather calm till now. Knowing that when he got back home, he'd have to face his six-year-old yami, "I can't stand this! How could Ra be so cruel as to let me find out from _Yugi_, that my yami has been deceiving me! Just a sick and twisted toddler is he!"

"Um, please…" Ryou tried to shush them both. The other fifteen people in the tram were starring at them and Ryou was uncomfortable, "You guys, maybe we could lower our voices a tad?"

"That retched Pharaoh…!"

"That little kid…!"

"I WON'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" They shouted in unison, standing up.

Ryou was almost in tears as he pleaded, silently, "Oh Ra…! Please, don't cause a scene, please…!"

The driver looked back in the rearview mirror, "Hey! All passengers must remain seated, no exceptions!" He motioned towards the sign that said the same thing.

In Yugi's blind fury, he walked up to a woman and her child and told his entire story. Of how this was their second vacation in two months, of how their yamis always manage to mess things up, and how he wanted to just let Yami rot in that motel, just like he'd rotted in the millennium puzzle for 5,000 years. Then Malik, crawled over, bawling his eyes out, telling the same woman and her little boy that his yami was under aged by a mile and that he was a cradle robber.

The little boy blinked at both hikaris, "W-What's a… _yami_?"

"It's something that brings great discomfort to all who are involved! A yami is something that hides under your bed in the dark and is the thing that goes bump in the night!"

"A yami is that _thing_ in your closet, it's the noise you hear when you're awake late at night! When you turn every corner, when you think you're safe… A yami is there and it will scare you!"

"BUGGA BUGGA!" Both hikaris yelled and made horrid faces at the child.

He blinked and busted into tears, huddling against his mother as she scolded the boys and hit them on the head with newspapers. Said newspaper did not make it to Yugi's head as it was stuck on one of his spikes. Before pulling it off, he noted that more bombings had gone off in Saudi Arabia.

"Malik! Yugi…!" Ryou cried, coming over and having to drag them back to their seats. After apologizing to the driver and the mother of the young boy who'd they had scarred for life, Ryou, Malik and Yugi continued the ride to the airport in silence.

* * *

He was lost and that was the bare fact. Nothing looked familiar, no one was around, and he didn't even know which floor he was on anymore. He could've sworn those were the boys he saw, running in the opposite direction. And he would've gone off after them if it hadn't been for his plastic foot slowing him down. 

So here he was, wondering aimlessly with a small candle that was almost spent. A few more minutes and once again he'd be in complete darkness. The old man sighed, "Drat. I don't think I'll be able to find them tonight. Maybe I should wait till morning?" He looked around at the looming darkness, "Eh… on second thought-"

Before he could finish his statement, his ear twitched. That was always a sign that his hearing aid was picking up some strange activity. He followed the noise and soon a peek of light was in sight. It was the same room he'd seen about two hours ago! That same study with Shivers and the other fellow.

The voices were getting closer and he decided not to stick around. As he was about to duck out of this hallway and turn a corner, another candle shown next to his. He looked up and saw a face, straight and foreboding. The old man was horrorstricken and tried to scramble away. But it seemed that the taller man already had a grip on his overalls and he was stuck, trying to run in midair.

"Why, Mr. Motou…" Came a familiar voice from behind. Grandpa was turned to face Shivers as he sauntered over to the older man.

"…" Grandpa only blinked as Shivers gestured towards the other man and said, "Shakes, please set him down."

The old man was set down as requested and he looked back over at Shivers, "Shivers, I heard you and your friend, here, talking earlier. What's all this about Marik is the one and they're not getting out?"

"It always starts like this doesn't it…" Shivers said to no one inparticular, "There's always someone questioning my reasons and then it all comes crashing down. Well, I'll tell you one thing… I've been trapped here long enough. After Marik is utilized tonight, we'll finally get out of here."

"Utilize…? Wait, you can't 'utilize' Marik for anything! I've gotta get these kids home!"

"Oh no? Just watch me. When Mr. Motou gets Marik down there-"

"That's all fine and dandy, but we'll be leaving now." He turned on his heel and started for the other way. Grumbling about how weird this new generation is.

Shivers didn't even have to say anything, Shakes went over and picked Grandpa up once again. "H-Hey! Just what do you think you're doing, young fellow? Set me down!"

"Shakes… What say we make sure nothing goes wrong this time?"

The man nodded and with no emotion whatsoever, he stomped down the hallway, Grandpa in hand. It wasn't two minutes later when they made their way to the lobby. The front door was totally covered in silly putty that Shivers had put up due to the flood and rain. The lobby was mostly dry now except from a few puddles and putty. Shakes walked over to a large window, thunder still raging outside and rain still coming down in sheets. He was beginning to unhinge the latch, but Grandpa thought quickly.

"Oh no! Listen, you don't want to do this…"

Shakes looked down at him, "…"

"Um… How about I give you a piece of prune pie, you let me go get the boys and we call it a night?"

"…" He said nothing and, with one quick motion, threw the old man out into the rain, landing in a wet, thorny bush. The window slammed closed behind him and Grandpa watched, heartbroken, as Shakes disappeared into the darkness of the motel. He sighed, "Do the words 'prune pie' mean nothing anymore?"

* * *

Back on the third floor, the yamis were finally calm. It had taken a while and much patience on Yami's part to get the other boys to stop hitting him over the head with random body parts. Eventually they tired of their mean reindeer games and let Yami walk with them in peace. But now as they felt that this was their third time going around the same floor, they began to get restless… and aimed their unhappiness at the Pharaoh. 

Whack!

"Ouch!" Yami rubbed the back of his head and looked back at Marik who was twirling his millennium rod between his fingers. "W-What the hell did you do that for, Marik?"

"Because, I feel lousy. And being mean to you makes me feel better."

"… Jeez."

"Alright, I've had just about enough of this." Bakura said, glaring down at his Pharaoh, "We've been going round and round and there's been no room, no voice, no old people and what I'm mostly upset about… NO BLOOD!" The Tomb Robber punctuated his sentence with a head butt to Yami's scull.

"Gah!" The boy fell backwards, holding the bleeding spot on his head.

Bakura grinned, getting down on all fours and hovering over Yami. But just before he could lick Yami's forehead, he noticed something a little beyond him and Marik. A square frame of light shown out in the hallway, supposedly raining out from a door.

When Yami didn't feel a tongue on his face, he looked up, "Bakura…?"

Both Bakura and Marik had gone to investigate. And this left Yami alone in the hallway. He immediately jumped off the floor and ran to the light that he saw protruding from the doorframe. He peeked inside the door and came across a rather large room, lit with candles and a few lights. Two large windows hung on the walls and shelves upon shelves of literature took up the rest of the wall space.

Yami stepped into the room, carefully, and then noticed his fellow yamis over by a large red chair. "Y-You guys… I don't like this place…" He said meekly.

"Relax. It's totally empty." Marik traced the lining of the chair with his fingers, "And you of all people should want to say here, Pharaoh. Wouldn't you want to stay here rather than out there, in the darkness?"

"Uh… I guess. This must be Shivers' room or something…" He wandered further into the room, keeping his hands locked in each other, behind his back, "I think we should be careful and not touch – Bakura!"

Bakura ignored everything Yami was saying and touched at the books behind a desk. "This person has bad taste… Horror… mysteries… Where's all the dirty – _Crap_. Hey, Marik, come look at this!"

Marik came over and looked over his friend's shoulder. Bakura was pointing to one particular book and Marik read the title, "1001 Ways to Seduce a Roommate. Damn… Heh, go, Shivers."

"Don't touch, don't touch…!" Yami pleaded, now standing behind the other two.

But Bakura had already pulled said book out of place. It resisted though, and Bakura pulled even harder. He tugged one last time and finally the book came out of the bookcase and the entire wall shifted. Half going to the left, half to the right, leaving a gaping hole in the wall to be revealed.

"Oh, (bleep)…" All three boys' mouths and eyes were wide as the walls came to a stop. The opening in the wall was a bit lighter than the hallway if only because there were more candles.

Yami, being the first one to come out of the stupor, shook his head and began to do a nervous little dance, "Ooh, we've done it now…! We're going to be _killed_ if Shivers finds out! Bakura, put the book back! Put it back!"

"Not a chance." Bakura smirked as he walked into the hole.

Marik followed with a similar expression on his face.

Whispering his threats and still lingering at the entrance was Yami, who yelled quietly, "Marik! Bakura! Get back here, you psychos! Oh… Damn them." He cursed under his breath as he followed, calling for them to wait up.

_That's right, Yami… Let them follow… Bring him to me…_


	12. Give me the cookie!

Her Sweetness: I am actually a bit annoyed right at this moment. Just at people who wont leave me alone so I can do my job. Well… I suppose this isn't REALLY a job. I mean, there are no specific hours, and I don't get paid.

But I treat it like one, I suppose.

Oh well. Good luck, reading this. (Sometimes when I have a _mood_, my chapters… are strange.)

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 12:

Cobwebs hung in the corners of the deep tunnel. There were a few more candles in there than in the hallways. There was one single mat at the entrance, although it was too dusty to read the message. Yami doubted that it said anything resembling 'Welcome, come in and have a cookie'. And although he absolutely begged Marik and Bakura to reconsider their rash decision and turn around, they ignored his pleas and kept going.

The yamis tried their best to stay in the middle of the tunnel, but it was narrow and a bit cramped in there. The sides were lined with things that looked at bit dangerous, such as nails jutting out of random places and jagged pieces of glass scattered around the floor.

Marik and Bakura walked with their heads held high, trying to prove that they weren't afraid of anything and could handle a little dreariness. Yami, on the other hand, had no problem wearing his emotions on his sleeve.

"You guys…!" The ex-Pharaoh whined, tugging lightly on Bakura's shirt, "We should go back. This place is scary and dark and it smells like puke."

Bakura looked back at him, an agitated scowl on his face, "That's not puke, Yami, it's old person."

"Ah… Really? Do you think that maybe Grandpa's in here?"

"Way to go, Bakura, you've gotten his hopes up." Marik said walking beside his friend. "Now he'll be all 'I know we can find him, if we just believe in the heart of the cards!'"

Yami growled, "What cards!"

"Nah, nah… It should be 'I know we can find the old guy, if we just believe in the nonexistent heart of darkness!'"

Marik blinked, "_There's_ a cool saying."

"… I know. These kind of sentimental things come naturally to me." Bakura grinned smugly, "I had a deal with Hallmark for that saying but they decided to go with 'Happy Holidays' instead."

"… No kidding."

Yami was highly confused by this time and before any other odd conversations could take place, he waved his hands wildly, "Listen to me, we're getting off subject! Point is, I don't think Grandpa would go down here at all! What reason would he have? We should go back through Shivers' room and get into the main hallways again."

"One problem. Didn't you say that Shivers would kill us if he caught us in his room? Why would we go back up there?"

"But-"

"And besides that, this little tunnel could lead back to our room." Bakura added.

"Well, yeah… Or we could end up in a bathroom or something..."

"That's cool. I gotta pee anyway."

The boys stopped in the middle of the hallway, suddenly. Looking down, a pool of some liquid blocked their path. It was rather dark in this part of the tunnel and so they couldn't exactly tell _what_ it was. But they trusted the reaction of their fellow yami to tell them everything they needed to know.

"Ah…" Bakura was practically floating to the puddle, heart bubbles floating around his head, "It's… it's…"

"Blood." Marik and Yami nodded to each other.

"Yeah, baby!" Bakura screamed, causing Yami to cover his ears. Said Tomb Robber leaped into the air, and was about to come splashing down into the forbidden pool. He would've gotten want he wanted if it weren't for Yami, who stepped in front of him. When Bakura came down, he landed on the Pharaoh and sent Yami hurdling into the crimson mess.

"GAH!" Yami cried, warm blood splashing him. Red covered almost his entire body, a bit sticky and very unhappy, he sat up.

Bakura frowned, "Hey! What'd you do that for!"

Marik was doubled over in uncontrollable laughter at the scene before him. Yami, covered in someone else's blood and Bakura, looking like he was going to murder Yami for interrupting his rapturous blood lusting.

Yami shot Marik a look, although it went unnoticed. "B-Bakura, I'm drenched in this foul blood! And all you can say is _Hey, what you do that for_? I did it to save you from a number of diseases you could get from sucking down random blood samples!"

"Oh, for Ra's sake! Do you even know how long I've had to go without any type for food or drink or other!"

They tilted their heads, "_Other_…?"

"Don't ask, okay, just don't." Bakura turned back to Yami, "And anyway, I NEED this!" Without any warning whatsoever, the silver haired boy jumped Yami, pinning him to the wall. Despite Yami's desperate cries for help to Marik, he stood there laughing his brains out.

Bakura tilted Yami's head back, with much force and proceeded to get the blood off his neck.

"Ack! B-Bakura…! Marik, help me!" Yami flailed around, afraid that if the excess blood on his body was licked clean, Bakura would bite down and draw his own.

"Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! N-Not a chance! Where's my camera when I need one!"

"What! Why you-" He was cut off by Bakura, who had covered his mouth. When he was done, he slithered away from the traumatized Pharaoh and wiped his mouth, with one hand, grinning.

"You freak!" Yami called, shaking himself, "What's the matter with you! You don't know whose blood that was! You could get aids! Y-You could get pregnant!"

Marik broke out laughing again and Bakura waved away the comment, "Don't worry about it, Yami, I've brought my pills."

"…!"

* * *

Meanwhile, a plane on the airstrip of the Bahamas airport was almost fully loaded. Their passengers were a bit annoyed as most of them were on the tram that brought the three hikaris to the airport. And that little boy they scarred for life? Him and his mother took a completely _different_ plane.

The captain was ready to go and all the announcements were made to buckle seatbelts. Ryou, Malik and Yugi had seats in Coach and so they were comfortable. The only thing that worried Malik and Yugi was Ryou's little fear of flying. But they assumed that he had taken care of that.

"Um… Well, I…" Ryou turned the other way in shame.

"_Ryou_." Malik nudged him, "You still haven't gotten over your phobia, have you?"

"Oh, the shame!" He wailed.

Yugi, being on the other side of his friend, patted his arm, "There, there… I'm sure you wont be as… uncomfortable this time as you were the last time. It'll be over faster than you can say 'Teletubby'."

"… I-I have tried to control this fear, honest, I have. But I haven't been doing so well. Why, just last week, Bakura offered to help me get over it. I accepted and he threw me onto the roof to retrieve his remote for the television."

"…" Malik and Yugi exchanged a worried glance, "What happened?"

"Oh, I threw the remote down to him. But looking out over the neighborhood from a two-story roof… I just lost it and cried my eyes out. I wanted so badly for Bakura to come get me. He did… eventually. But, you see, there was this monster movie marathon on and so I was up there for quite a while…"

Malik gasped, "That's horrible!"

"Ah…Well, Ryou, we're not going to let you be afraid. We'll just keep your mind off of everything. It'll be fine, you'll see."

Ryou beamed.

It was about an hour later. The boys had managed to keep Ryou's weary mind off of anything related to flying and or heights. It was very dandy for a while until the captain came onto the intercom and had some news for the passengers.

'Passengers, this is Captain Kay speaking. We have just flown into the middle of the storm that s coming down the east coast. There will be turbulence and if anything goes horribly wrong, please note that parachutes are reserved for the staff only. Thank you.'

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" Ryou was in hysterics at the end of the announcement. He was trying desperately to get out of the seatbelt and do who knows what. Malik and Yugi had a pretty strong grip on his arms, though and were trying to calm him down, as people starred.

"Ryou! Ryou, calm down, it's okay!" Yugi shouted over Ryou's incessant crying and screaming.

"N-No… It's not ALRIGHT! Guh… Oh Ra! I want out! I want out! I want out! Please, please…!" He shook his head back and forth, tears running down his face, "I just want my yami…!"

"We're going to see Bakura, Ryou!" Malik told him, "Just calm down, no one's going to die and we're going to be fine, but you need to calm yourself!"

He wiped his face off with his sleeve, "Eh… Eh… Okay…"

"Good…!" Malik fell back into his chair as did Yugi. They both watched Ryou intensely, hoping he would keep his word and settle down. He was stone-faced and red, obviously holding in all his anguish and pain. To tell the truth, Yugi didn't think it was good for Ryou to pen up his sorrow. That could lead to repercussions. He folded his arms and looked of at the boy.

"… Ryou. Do you really think we'd die here on this plane?"

Malik's eyes bugged out of his head, he was too stunned to speak, "…!"

Ryou blinked and sighed, shakily, "Um… I-I couldn't imagine _dying _here… I dunno. But then… Yugi, didn't Yami say that people were dying at their motel?"

"Grr… Yeah, he did, actually. Well, I don't feel bad for him. If we die on the plane, and they die in a motel, we'd see each other later anyway, I guess."

"Ahem." Malik cleared his throat, "Not exactly, see they're supposed to go to h-"

"Oh. Yeah."

"Well, if I end up in heaven and Bakura goes to hell, then I'm sending him cookies!" Ryou stated.

Both hikaris exchanged a glance. "What makes you think they'll let you mail things to another plain? What makes you think that's even possible?"

Ryou thought for a moment, "Well, postmen die, there's probably millions of dead postmen ready to deliver things."

"… Shoot for the stars, Ryou."

* * *

In the blustery cold and rain of the outside, was Grandpa. He had been huddled in that same bush for over an hour now as he tried to shelter himself from the elements. The rain came down every bit as hard as it was an hour ago and so there was now comfort for him.

His teeth were chattering in the unforgiving cold now as the wind blew harder. It felt if it were raining icicles but then he couldn't really feel much. Being numb from the chest down. Another gust of wind came and actually blew the bush right out of the ground, knocking it into a side of the tall building. Grandpa's eyes bugged out as he was hit with twice the amount of rain.

He got up, staggering a bit and began to trudge around the side of the building, 'I-I'd better find some type of… way into the motel…! I c-can't let them utilize Marik for their own twisted needs…! Marik may not be a friend of Yugi's… but he's human! … Mostly…'

As Grandpa was aiming to get around the corner of Motel 37, a bolt of lightning came crashing down from the sky, striking the old man head-on. Grandpa's hair shot straight up, his bandana flying off to the side and his body filled with thirty thousand volts of pure electricity. After what seemed like an eternity of pain, (which was really only two seconds) the lightning stopped and Grandpa fell to the muddy ground.

* * *

Inside the tunnel leading from Shivers' study to wherever, the boys had gone about a mile and a half at this point and none of them were very pleased at this time. Except Bakura. He'd gotten all the blood off of Yami's face and neck, but Yami forbad him to go any lower.

So Yami was walking down the tunnel, behind Marik and in front of Bakura. From the shoulders down, he was covered in dried blood and a bit of dirt from the sides of the dingy hallway. They stopped in their tracks, for in front of them lay a fork in the road. Actually, two forks. Four doorways all looked the same, equally dark and equally scary.

"Ugh… See, I knew this was a bad idea! I knew we were going to get even more lost than we already were." Yami lectured the other two, "We've gone down a deserted… whatever this is, and we don't know where we're heading. For Ra's sake, this could be some kind of haunted goldmine! We could be calmly traveling to our demise!"

Marik turned back to him, "Will you kindly shut up? Ra, you've been at it for the past hour!"

"Well, I've been 'at it' for the past hour because you're not listening to me!"

"I don't listen to idiotic Pharaohs who have nothing better to do than rant and rave all the time!"

"You big, fat meanie! I hate you!" Yami huffed and folded his arms. "I hope that ghost or whatever does get you, so I don't have to deal with your meanness."

"Stop saying I'm mean! You sound so childish!"

"_I'm_ childish? You're the child here, I don't want to hear it from you!"

"Well, you're going to hear it from me, my Pharaoh, like it or not!"

"I DON'T LIKE IT!"

"GOOD!"

While this argument of epic proportions continued, Bakura had been leaning on the wall watching with mild interest. Although it was far from amusing now. Just because watching those two go at it was a normal routine, didn't mean he wanted to deal with it _all_ the time. He was about to break it up in a minute, if he hadn't looked to his side and seen a few drops of red.

He tilted his head and down the door closest to him was practically a trail of blood. Dropped in a perfect line. Against his better judgment, he grinned to himself and followed the trial, going into the darkness without a word to Marik or Yami.

A few minutes passed and when Yami and Marik were done trying to kill each other, they sat back and looked at the four doors. Their fight had solved nothing. They still had a decision to make.

"… Well, I say we go _back_." Yami folded his arms over his chest.

"I know what you say." Marik glared, "And, frankly, I don't give a tiddlywink. Hmm… Bakura, what do you think?"

No response.

"Bakura?"

Still nothing. Then both Marik and Yami looked behind them to reveal that Bakura was not there.


	13. Can I still call you Biscuit Head?

Her Sweetness: Hello there. I really have nothing to say right now. I'm bored as hell and I know if I don't at least START this chapter, I never will. And what would that do to the mural of our readers? I have no idea.

But I'm sure it wouldn't be good.

To answer a girl's question, a cradle robber is someone who's intimate with a person much younger. And to answer another's question… Yes, Bakura _did_ get the blood off of Yami's lips.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 13:

"Bakura!"

"Bakura, stop playing around!"

It had been about ten minutes since Marik and Yami realized that their dear friend Bakura was no longer with them. They had called his name over and over again but still Bakura was not heard. At first, Marik thought the boy was playing around and went along with it, thinking he was hiding somewhere. But, as time went on, and still he did not come out of his supposed hiding place, Marik thought that maybe something really _was_ wrong.

Yami, on the other hand, was worried sick from the beginning. When he turned around and saw no one there, the first thing that popped into his mind was that voice. Had it taken Bakura? But Yami thought that it was wanting Marik. It never even mentioned Bakura's name before, not that he heard.

Marik put his hands on his hips, "Well. I think he's disappeared."

Yami rolled his eyes, "What was your first clue?"

"Maybe he went into one of these doors…?" He ignored his Pharaoh's comment and turned to the four doors, "He was probably tired of us fighting and left."

"…" Yami blinked, turning back to the way they came. He was sure that it was a straight line, they had made no previous turns. "We should go back, Marik. I'd bet anything that Bakura has already done the same thing."

"If you'd make that bet, then you would lose everything you own. How stupid, you are, Yami. Why the hell would he go back there? He's gone into one of these tunnels, I know it."

"Oh, come on! Why don't you even consider what I'm saying to be true!"

"Because the stuff that comes out of your mouth usually has 'stupid' written all over it."

"Grr…! Well, you can go in one of those hallways and die for all I care! I'm going BACK!" Yami shouted and stomped his foot in a childish manner. He turned and went back into the darkness, the way they had come before. Marik didn't even say anything when he noticed Yami going, he just blew a raspberry and continued his thoughts on which door would be most enticing to someone like Bakura.

Whilst Yami went stomping down the hallway, he tried his best to calm himself down and blow off some steam by just yelling to himself, "I can't believe that big jerk! Where does he get off calling _me_ stupid? He's the stupid one! I swear, if it was up to me, he could never call anyone stupid again…"

He shook his head a little, sighing. Cursing Marik wasn't going to get him anywhere. And it certainly wasn't going to find Bakura for them. But he knew he just couldn't go back there. He couldn't bear for Marik to taunt him again, he'd had enough. "Hmm…"

_Yami…_

"Ah!" He jumped back, looking around, wildly, "W-Who…? That voice!"

_Yami, you're not going to let Marik go off by himself are you…?_

"I… I was… I mean, I am! B-But why are you talking to me? And what have you done with Bakura? I know it was you that took him!"

_I took no Bakura… I think you should go back to Marik…_

"What? W-Why? And just who are you anyway?" Yami backed up to the wall. Yugi had always told him not to talk to strangers. And so talking to someone that he couldn't see was definitely out of bounds, or so he thought. He blinked and whispered, "… Are you a ghost…?"

_I need him, Yami… Don't you want Marik to be nice to you…? Don't you want Marik to be kind and sweet?_

"Ha. The day Marik is kind to me is the day Hell has a bake sale."

_I can make Hell have a bake sale for you, Yami… Listen to me, Yami… You must take Marik to the second door on the right… Take him through there, Yami, please…_

Yami winced, backing up, but the wall stopped him from going any further. He shook his head, "I don't think it would be wise to listen to something I can't even see."

_But think of how mean he is to you… It's horrible… And with the Bakura missing, it's harder for you to get along with him… You want him to be nice to you, don't you, Yami…? Poor Yami…_

Yami looked back. He could barely see Marik pacing. He was probably going to go through the first door, judging by the way he was looking at it. Yami turned back to the darkness, "He's probably already made up his mind."

_… Change it._

* * *

Meanwhile, the plane heading to the Domino airport was going through major turbulence. They'd hit an air pocket about twenty minutes ago and Ryou just about lost his mind. It took everything Malik had to hold him to the seat. Sure, Yugi tried to help, but he was small and insignificant. Eventually, they did get him to calm down just a little. But he got excited once again when Captain Kay came back on the P.A. system.

'Attention all passengers, this is your Captain Kay, speaking again. Just a notice that this next air pocket we hit may be our last. And again, when we meet with our undeniable doom and demise, the parachutes are for the staff only. Thank you.'

Ryou was currently in a state of shock and disrepair. Malik grabbed his hand and shook it, "Now, Ryou, he's joking of course… Isn't that right, Yugi?"

"I think he sounded pretty serious."

"Yugi!"

"Well, it's true." He patted Ryou's arm, "And Ryou doesn't need false pretenses. He needs to know that we're here for him if he needs us. You're going to be okay, Ryou, don't worry."

He held back a sob, whining, "B-But I won't be able to see my _'Kura_ again! That's what's the most depressing to me…"

"Ah, Ryou." Malik smiled, nudging his friend's arm, "That's so cute. I love how you have a pet name for Bakura! It's like the ultimate sign of a bonded hikari and yami…"

He and Yugi sighed simultaneously. "It's so beautiful."

Ryou blinked, "Y-You don't have a little nickname for Marik or Yami?"

"… No…"

"Well, then, you can just make one up right this moment!" He beamed, seemingly forgetting the plane's impending doom, "Go ahead. It's simple, just dice their name a bit or call them something that they remind you of. Like pudding… or cake or-"

"Fruitcake." Yugi interrupted.

"What?" Both Malik and Ryou looked over at him.

"I think I'll start calling Yami… Fruitcake. Because it reminds me of him. No one really likes fruitcake, you see… But it's always there. Just kind of blending in with its surroundings. Just like Yami." Yugi finished his sentence, beaming at the other two.

Ryou sweatdropped, "I… Well, I suppose that's a suitable nickname for… Yami."

Yugi looked over to Malik who seemed lost in thought. "Malik? Have you thought of something yet?"

"I… think so. Mine's a bit different from Yugi's because it's not what he reminds me of… it's what he looks like." Malik nodded to himself, "Yep. I think I'll call him Biscuit Head."

"WHAT?"

"Look." Malik dug in his pocket and got out a picture. He held it up to both Yugi and Ryou as he explained, "I think, if you look close enough and squint, Marik's head looks like a biscuit. Just tilt your head to the left a little."

Both boys blinked and tilted their heads to the left about an inch. They starred at it for a moment then sat back and said, profoundly, "… You're right."

"I know."

'Attention all passengers.'

"Oh no!" Ryou cried, gulping, "He's got more news for us!"

'I have more news for you.'

"I knew it!" Ryou shook Yugi by the collar of his shirt, "See? We're all gonna die!"

'We're not going to die.'

"…"

'We will be landing in Domino airport in about five minutes. Please buckle your seatbelts and prepare to land. Thank you for flying Sweetness Airlines.'

"Well." Ryou sat back when the announcement was over, "There's a shocker. But a good one! I'm going to see you again, 'Kura!"

"I'm going to see you too, Fruitcake!"

"And you too, Biscuit Head!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a tunnel deep inside the heart of Motel 37, Bakura was walking aimlessly around. He had taken several turns and was now regretting every last one of them. The blood trail had ceased about fifty feet back and so his only incentive to go on was his foolish hope that there would be more.

Now most normal people who enjoyed the taste of blood every now and again would have been full from all the blood he received from Yami. But Bakura was not your average blood-sucking weirdo. Bakura was above average…! Or below. Depending on your view on life.

"Meow…" Bakura whined, searching the ground, "There _has_ to be more, there just has to be…!"

And with no blood to be had within a two-block radius, Bakura realized for the first time that he was all alone and that there was no one he could talk to if he became afraid. But of course he had to hide that fact from himself. There was no way he'd let himself find out that he could be possibly afraid of being alone. In the dark. Where there was no blood…

"Gah! Too awful to even think about…" He shivered to himself and thought. There _was_ a way to keep himself from being afraid! Ryou had used this on him when he couldn't sleep, and it just had to work now. "… Over there… over there… Send the word, send the word to beware… That the yanks are coming! The yanks are coming! The drum, drum, drumming everywhere… So beware…"

He continued this song as he tried to backtrack. Ryou had told him that _no one_ could be afraid when they heard that song. But perhaps it was just a British thing? Because he felt that he was creeping himself out even further.

* * *

Outside of the motel, it was thundering and raining, never ceasing, never calming. And it had been unearthly silent for only a moment when there was a life that was almost taken. Sure, it was an old life and most people would think that it didn't matter at all. And maybe most people would be right. But _this_ life was on a mission.

Grandpa struggled to get up, grunting as his back snapped in half, "AAHH!" He cried. That back of his was expensive and he couldn't buy another with his awful social security.

He managed to flip himself over, starring up at the sky, raindrops temporarily blinding him. The ground was muddy beneath his hands, but he was able to lift off the ground and stumble to his feet. The lightning really didn't make him much worse except for the fact that his hair looked god awful. Apparently he did not use name brand hair gel like his grandson.

"Okay…" He sighed, wiping his hands off on his jeans. "Let's see how I can get inside this travesty of a motel…"

The old man began to walk around the corner of the building. Looking around himself from time to time to watch out for any more bolts of death that want to give his pacemaker a thrill. There were none in sight and he continued back around the building. Way in the back, about fifty feet behind the building's back door was another building, though much smaller. It caught Grandpa's eye and he thought it was some sort of large gardening shed. But that couldn't be. Every plant within a mile of this place was dead.

He decided to check it out. Maybe there would be a key back into the building.

* * *

Inside Shivers' study, both Shivers and Shakes had walked in. Everything seemed in place and untouched, but then they looked over to the bookcase behind Shivers' desk and saw that someone had pulled on their '1001 Ways to Seduce a Roommate' book and the passage way had been opened.

Shivers leaned back and smirked a bit, "Just like I planned it. You know, Shakes, that book really is irresistible to anyone who sees it. You've just got to touch it and see what tips might be inside. That's how I knew it would be perfect."

Shakes nodded slowly, "… Do you think they're there yet?"

"Maybe. But we'd better get there ahead of time, even if they're not. I'm sure that the motel has convinced Yami to do it by now."

"…" Shakes went over to the key hook and got a black key off the handle. He stood over by the door and Shivers slowly followed, "This will all be over tonight."

"Yes… it will. It's a good thing we found Marik so soon. I thought it would take forever to find another person with such darkness in their heart, but he's perfect…"

"And Yami? You do not think he will protest?"

"Of course not. After all… they _hate_ each other..."


	14. I can smell you

Her Sweetness: Hey there. I don't feel all that well. I mean, I feel okay, physically, but not really happy at all. More or less… oppressed, depressed, and moody. If I could use three words to describe myself now, those would be perfect.

Let's see… I think that's everything I have to tell you for now.

I'll see you later, then.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 14:

The sky was gray and the wind was blowing a bit harsher than what they were used to. But of course, this was how it was when you were away from paradise, the boys supposed. Their vacation to the wonderful Bahamas was officially over now that they were back in Domino and saw the awful weather. No more clear skies, no more sunny days, no more soft music coming in through the open windows… Gosh, how depressing.

"Aw…" Yugi whined, looking out over the palm trees bending to the ground and people being blown off their feet, "This just sucks… Damn my yami for ending up in a murderer-infested motel!"

Ryou nodded, "I know how you feel, Yugi. But we'd better get a move on. I want to get to Bakura before that murderer does…"

"That murdered or whatever has my permission to complete their job." Yugi huffed, "It'll save me the trouble…"

Malik rolled his eyes, stepping out of the airport's lobby, "C'mon, you guys. Let's go. I had to rent a car for us so we can get there." He held up a folded piece of paper and handed it to Ryou, "I got a map too… I don't know about you guys, but I've never heard of this… Motel 37."

"Well, I'll check it out when we get on the road."

The car that Malik rented was a red corvette. He really didn't have the money to rent it himself, so he used Yugi's credit card. But he didn't mind and they got in and began their trip to the motel where their yamis were supposedly being terrorized. This time, instead of Yugi being the navigator, they had Malik sitting in the front seat. Last time, Yugi got them horribly lost and this time they hopped Malik would have better luck.

But then… that also meant that Ryou had to drive and he was a bit more of a precautious driver.

It had not been more than ten minutes on the road when Ryou peeked over the steering wheel and slammed on the breaks.

"Gah!" Both Yugi and Malik flew forward. Neither of them had their seatbelt on and when they stopped their eyes from rolling around in their heads, they looked over at Ryou, "W-What's wrong? Why'd you stop?"

He got out of the driver's seat and went in front of the car, picking up a drenched, white fur ball. He came over to Malik's side and tapped on the window, smiling. Malik rolled it down, "Ryou! Get back in here, it's dangerous out there!"

"Exactly." He handed the wet cat to Malik, who fumbled with it, "This poor dear is out here all alone and we can't just leave it in this awful weather. Like you said, it's dangerous out here."

Yugi and Malik blinked, "… You can't be serious."

Dripping wet from the rain he'd been in, Ryou sat back into his seat and put the vehicle into motion. "I most certainly am serious."

"Mew…" The little ball of fluff looked back at Ryou, two big brown eyes melting the hikari's heart.

"It's so darling!"

Yugi sweatdropped, "W-Well… I suppose it is cute… Ah, here, Malik, lemme have it. You need to read Ryou the directions."

"… Right." He practically threw the little kitten in the backseat, which earned him a disapproving glance from Ryou. He turned back to the map in his lap and pulled it out fully. Tapping a finger on the paper, he followed a red line down the map, "Okay, here we go. We need to take I 95 for about three miles until the fourth exit, okay? Then take two turns left and go past a-"

"Malik, Malik! Slow down, please, I'm not a machine…" Ryou pouted, "One thing at a time. I 95? Okay, then…"

It was about fifteen minutes later and it had been relatively quiet in the car. Meaning no real conversation, just bits of information and directions to Ryou from Malik. And the occasional coo from Yugi who couldn't help but love the kitten whose eyes were as big as his. Actually, it was a bit depressing for Ryou. Not only was it rainy and dreary but also he couldn't play with the kitten he'd rescued and the "kitten" he used to play with (i.e. Bakura) was off in some motel being murdered to death.

"Ah…" Ryou sighed for the umpteenth time.

Malik sent him an annoyed look but it went unnoticed as Ryou sighed _yet again_. "Ahem… You know, Ryou, we'd get there faster if you wouldn't sigh and look at that picture of Bakura you have every five seconds."

"OH!" Ryou began to wail, somehow managing not to kill them all by veering off the road.

"Malik, he can't help it." Yugi said, placing the kitten on his head, "It's a natural reaction."

"D-Don't you m-miss Biscuit Head…?" Ryou sniffed.

"Humph! No, I do _not_ miss Biscuit Head. That pacifier-sucking, formula-drinking toddler… are you kidding me? No, I'm a kid-free parent and lovin it, baby! Biscuit Head can go to six-year-old hell for all I care."

"B-But I-I miss my 'Kura…!"

"Gah! Ryou, watch the road!" Yugi cried, seeing as they were driving into a ditch. Ryou turned the wheel quickly and they got back on track, muttering an 'I'm sorry'. Yugi took in a deep breath, as did the kitten. "Okay, no more yami-talk. That seems to bring out the worst in us. I say we just get there when we can and forget about the bad things. Malik, turn on the radio."

"Yeah, okay." Malik nodded and turned the dial and the volume up. Suddenly "I'm Too Sexy," by Right Said Fred began to play and Malik, Ryou and Yugi blinked. Now, who did this song remind them of?

"… I MISS MY YAMI!"

* * *

Back in the cavernous tunnels of Motel 37, Yami was waiting in the shadows. He watched Marik intently. The blonde seemed that he was about to go into the first door. And the voice had told Yami that he needed to go through the second door on the right. And Yami had agreed to do it, but then… There was that thought in the back of his mind that told him it wasn't a good idea. No matter who was mean to you or what they did… Hearing voices that told you to take them somewhere couldn't be… _natural_.

He sighed. 'I… I don't know about this…'

_Come on, Yami… It's just a simple trip down a hallway… And then, you'll be happy, won't you? Marik won't be mean to you… _

Yami gasped. Was this thing reading his mind?

_Don't hesitate, Yami… Hesitation provides nothing but indecision… Do it, Yami… I offer nothing but success and a promise… He won't be mean to you any more, Yami…Go._

"Marik!" Yami called out, becoming more or less irritated by the voice's persistence. And somewhat interested in its proposition. He had wanted Marik to be kinder. He'd said if it was up to him, he'd never be mean again.

Marik turned around, just about to go through the door, "Pharaoh? You're still here? I thought you'd gone back to hide somewhere."

He winced, deciding to let that pass, "I… um, I want to help you find Bakura. I'm worried about him."

Marik smirked, batting his eyelashes, "Aw. How gracious of you, Yami. To be so concerned about a fellow yami."

"Grr…" He bit his tongue again. Had to let that one slide too. Marik would only go with him if he thought that he truly wanted to find Bakura. But these weren't his sentiments. The voice was the one feeding him these tidbits of info and helping him con Marik into following him.

"Ah… Here." Yami walked over to the second door on the right and pointed into the darkness. "I-I think this is where Bakura is, Marik, so let's go."

"What? Wait a minute! What makes you think he's there?"

Yami frowned. He hadn't thought this through, '… What do I do?'

_… Tell him something. Anything. You know Marik… Just say something believable. _

"I…" Yami turned back to the tunnel, then back to Marik. He puffed out his chest and spout out the truth, "I can smell him!"

Marik blinked. He tilted his head to look past Yami's head and down the hallway. He turned back to the Pharaoh in front of him, an unbelievable straight expression on his face. "What… what does he smell like?"

This time Yami had to blink. He had no idea what Bakura would smell like. Sure, he'd been really close to him when Bakura was licking blood off of his face, but he was trying his best to fight the boy off, not sniff him. But strangely, he didn't think that Bakura would mind if he did. "Uh… Well…"

_Sandalwood…_

"Sandalwood!"

The blonde was about to say something but stopped. He decided to leave it alone. What Yami sniffed in his spare time was none of his business, anyway. But he was sure as hell going to tell Yugi when and if their hikaris got here.

"Alright, Pharaoh." Marik said, shrugging, "You may be stupid, but I suppose you have the nose of a bloodhound when it comes to Bakura. …… Heh! Hey, I made a funny! Get it? Bakura and _blood_hound?"

Yami starred a him, "…"

"Oh, you suck!" Marik rolled his eyes, frowning, "Stupid five thousand year old Pharaohs with no sense of humor…"

As the figure went into the darkness, he called out to Yami by saying 'Are you coming or aren't you? Idiot…' or something similar. Yami took in a deep breath and followed, trying to catch up. He muttered something that sounded like, "Are you sure…?"

_Positive._

* * *

"I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts… Diddly di… There they are, just bouncing in the road… Bum bum bum bum… Big ones, small ones, some as big as your – Hmm? What's this…?"

Up until this point, in this dark and dingy hallway, Bakura was singing all the show tunes he could remember. He'd been a bit cautious and afraid ever since the blood trail ceased and he had to try and backtrack, but he soon realized that this was a great opportunity to break his voice in for the next time Ryou dragged him to a karaoke bar.

But just now he'd found something of particular interest. On the ground by his foot was a small latch. By the common eye, it wouldn't have been noticeable, but the eye of a Tomb Robber is every vigil on everything around it.

Said Tomb Robber bent down and dusted it off with the back of his hand. It looked like it was attached to the floor, and that meant it had to open something. Bakura smirked, tugging on it a little. Perhaps buried treasures resided in this old place. Or so he thought.

When he tugged on the little latch, he was taken aback by the floor under his feet, moving. A few boards came up a bit and he moved his position, trying to pull on it again. This time, about five floorboards came up and they opened a trapdoor that led into even more darkness. The smell that erupted from it came and hit him in the face; the stench reminding him of a thousand freshly buried corpses. He smiled to himself. Where there were corpses, there was bound to be blood. At least a few drops.

Without wasting another moment of thought, he jumped in.

It was about ten minutes later when Bakura made himself known once again. He took a large gasp for air. He'd been holding his breath for the last two or three minutes. It seemed that the tunnel he took, even further underground, was not a mass grave at all! But a sewage tank. Leading up through pipes and into the place where he was now.

"Gah! Ugh… My Ra…" Bakura coughed a few times before looking around him and seeing just where he had ended up. It seemed to be an extremely small space. Four wooden walls surrounded him and he got out of the hole he'd crawled out of. Through just one of the walls he saw a tiny window in the shape of a crescent moon. _Now _he knew where he was! One of those portable toilets!

"… Oh, _gross_!" He whined shaking himself, trying to get the unholy public toilet smell off his body.

After doing that, or as much as he could anyway without tipping the damned thing over, he exited the portable potty by the door with the little moon shaped window. It appeared that he had emerged outside the building. He saw the back of Motel 37 and was standing in the pouring rain. Not that he cared, anyway. It would wash away the fifth from the sewage tunnels.

He was about to try and get back in through the front of the building, but before he did, he noticed a figure moving in the backyard about twenty feet from him. The figure was hunched over and walking rather slowly. Bakura thought that it might be Shivers. He walked over and scarred the moving person half to death.

"Hey, I-"

"AH!" The figure jumped back and Bakura could see that it was Grandpa now. His hair was singed and he looked like he'd been struck by lightning, but it was him alright. Grandpa held his chest and sighed, "B-Bakura…! It's you!"

"Well, look at that. You're not dead."

"I… Well, no I'm not." The old man mumbled something, obviously saddened that Bakura didn't show much enthusiasm, "Bakura, do you know where Yami and Marik are? We have to grab them and get out of here, Shivers is planning to do something to Marik!"

He blinked, "Ya don't say? Well, the last I saw of them, they were arguing in this secret tunnel thing we found in Shivers' room. I was gonna try and get back into the motel by the front door."

"Oh, Shivers locked the front door, Bakura. He really doesn't want anyone interfering with his utilization of Marik. I was going to try and get into that little building over there and see if there's a key or something." Grandpa pointed to what looked like a large gardening shed about fifty feet away. "It might be our only chance to get in and save Marik!"

"Yeah, okay, I'm game." Bakura shrugged, beginning to walk with the old man. "By the way, if you weren't dead, where were you?"

"Oh, I was using the bathroom. I fell asleep."

Bakura blinked, taking that in for a second, "… Oh YEAH! Ha ha ha! Marik now owes me exactly one Malik."

He smiled maliciously and cackled. Grandpa then took this time to wonder just what those boys did when he wasn't around.


	15. Gotta love that Marik Part 1

Her Sweetness: Wow, you guys! I got a lot of reviews for that last chapter, they were great! And as such, you have put me in a rather good mood. Good enough to do my chapter for today anyway.

I've put a deadline on this fic up on my chalkboard! If I work for three hours everyday leading up to it, it'll be done within a decent time period. And then…!

Another one will follow. The cycle will forever continue.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 15:

"Do you even know where we're going?"

"… Ah… Sure, I do."

The two boys had been walking for about ten minutes in silence. Marik didn't really have the energy to ridicule Yami like he usually did and so he decided if he couldn't say anything mean, he wouldn't say anything at all. Yami, on the other hand, was waiting for that voice to say something, to give him a clue about exactly what to do when they had gone through the door. He had no idea where to go or if there was something he hadn't figured out yet.

Marik blinked, his hands resting on his head as they continued to walk forward. Yami had been strangely quiet and that wasn't like him at all. He wondered if maybe the Pharaoh was concentrating on something, "… Can you smell Bakura right now?"

"Guh…!" Yami slowly looked back to Marik. "I… Well… Yes. Yes, I can smell him…"

"So, just curious, but when did you get a chance to actually smell Bakura?"

"Eh, what? I-I don't know… I…"

"Oh, whoa!" Suddenly Marik stopped walking behind Yami and went over to the side of the hallway. Yami noticed and went over to what he was looking at. It seemed to be a door. Which, in this dirt hallway, looked completely out of place. Yami blinked. Was this where they were supposed to go? He frowned slightly. This didn't feel to good all of a sudden.

Marik touched the door handle, about to open it, but Yami stopped him. "W-Wait…! I don't think we should go in there, Marik."

"Ugh…" He groaned, "Just what is it now? Do you have bad _feelings_ about this? It's just a door!"

"W-Well, yes! As a matter of fact I do have a bad feeling about this, Marik, and if you only knew who told me-"

"YAWN!" Marik scratched the back of head while yawning, "That's great, Pharaoh. But Bakura might be in here. You know him, he can't resist opening doors. That's why he's always thrown out of public restaurants." Without further debate over the subject, the door was opened, courtesy of Marik.

"Ah… Wow."

Both boys' mouths hung open as they entered the room together. Unlike the tunnels they had just traveled through and most of the motel, this room was very modern looking. Although it lacked in the computer department, it had a chrome table with braces on the top and bottom corners. The rest of the room contained two doors, one by the first and the other on the other side of the room, along with a desk with assorted buttons and knobs on it. A phone was on the hook in one of the corners along with an odd looking machine by the table; wires hung from it.

"What the hell is this?" Yami asked, absentmindedly.

Marik walked over to the table and sat on it, "This is awesome. It looks like some modern-day torture chamber. But where're the maces? And the whips? And the creamed corn?"

"Maces? I don't… Ah! Marik, get off of that!"

"Weeee!" The blonde shouted in glee as he began to spin around on the table. He went round and round as Yami tried to get him off the thing.

"Marik! Marik, Bakura's not here so we have to leave!" He turned around and looked off into the air, "Is this what you were talking about? I don't like it!"

_Relax, Yami… This is good, this is really good… I was needing him so bad, Yami…_

"What? Needing him? Well, you're not going to get him, we're leaving!" Yami turned around and tried to pull Marik off the table, but he ignored the Pharaoh and continued his games.

_But Yami… You said you wanted him to be nice to you… That's what's going to happen…_

"I-I changed my mind! Grr… Marik, come ON!"

"Who the hell are you talking to?" He asked, still not budging. The only thing he saw was Yami talking to thin air. And he wondered if Yami wasn't an idiot, just clinically retarded. If that was the case, Marik figured he should feel bad for him. But he didn't. And that was just the way it was.

"We're leaving right now, Marik, let's go!"

_It's too late, Yami…_

"It's too late, Yami."

"… What?" Both Yami and Marik heard a voice coming from somewhere. Yami looked up and around the room. His eyes settled on the second door that was now open and the two figures that stood in front of it. Shivers stood, leaning on the side of the door, a black key twirling through his fingers. Shakes was next to him, arms crossed and looking as petrifying as ever.

"Hey." Marik blinked at them, frowning, "What're you two doing in here?"

Shivers only smiled, a very odd expression on his usually stony face, "I see Mr. Motou has completed his task. Very good. And Marik, you're already prepped? This will be easier than I previously planned."

"What are you talking about? Prepped for what?"

Realization flashed in Yami's usually vacant eyes. He looked up at Shivers and pointed accusingly, "Shivers! You were the one telling me all those things, weren't you? You were that voice I heard!"

"Mmm. No. Not me." He pointed upwards, towards the ceilings.

Yami and Marik's gazes followed his finger. Marik blinked, "… So, Yami's been hearing the voice of the lighting fixtures in the building?"

"What? No." Shivers was rubbing his temples, thinking that perhaps he'd better just spit it out. "The Motel was talking to you, Mr. Motou. The Motel's… spirit."

Marik winced, "You mean there really _was _a voice?"

"In your face, you big bully!" Yami grinned, folding his arms, "I knew I wasn't crazy… Oh, but wait! What the hell does the 'Motel' want with Marik?"

"His power… His darkness." Shiver said, walking over to the small desk, decorated with colorful buttons. He punched two in a row and suddenly the braces on the table clamped down on Marik's wrists and ankles.

"EEK!" The blonde squealed, struggling to get away, "What the hell! This is a torture chamber!"

Yami was helping him to try and get loose but they were made of metal and wouldn't move for anything. Yami turned on Shivers, glaring, "Just what do you mean by his darkness?"

Shivers nonchalantly turned a dial on the dashboard slightly to the right, causing the table to rise, slowly. While doing so he barley looked over to Yami, "It surrounds you, you know. The fact that you, Marik and Bakura are creatures of darkness. When you enter the room… it becomes gloomy almost."

"Oh, why thank you." Marik interrupted.

"Ahem." Shivers resumed, "This motel… The spirit thrives on darkness… evil. That is why so many of our guests go missing. The building feeds on the darkness in their souls."

"To survive?"

"To have fun. And when it doesn't get the necessary darkness it needs, there are repercussions. Such as murders, disasters… And us. Shakes and I have been trapped here for _thirty-seven_ years! All because the Motel has not had the necessary darkness that it craves, it has trapped us here. We have not left this building in thirty-seven years."

"Damn. No wonder you're both so pasty and… _ugly_." Marik said, bluntly.

Shivers growled and tightened the braces.

"Ouch!"

"Marik, this is no time to bring up their shortcomings!" Yami yelled at the Egyptian. He turned back to Shivers as he did something else concerning and pained yelp from Marik, "W-Well, that's very sad, but what does that have to do with Marik? He's done nothing to you! … Uh, you haven't, have you?"

Marik thought for a moment then shook his head. "Not in this lifetime."

"It's not what he's _done_. It's what he _has_. When you're around him, it can almost make you want to cry. That's what this building needs. He's such an extreme darkness… I've never seen a person like him before."

Marik was beginning to blush, "Gosh… T-This is so sweet of you…! I don't know what to say!"

Shivers grinned, "Say goodbye."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the road to save their somewhat distressed yamis, the hikaris were having a rather rough time getting there. The storm seemed to be worsening as they kept going. The wind blew harder, the rain was coming down like stones and people were being blown into trees. And with all of this bad luck, the worse thing was that they had little to no idea of where they were going.

"… Um, Malik did you say turn right or left?" Ryou asked, a worried look on his face and his hands griping the starring wheel.

Malik twisted his mouth and looked down at the map. He flipped it over and said, "Ah… Right. I said take a right turn."

Ryou blinked, "… Oops."

"Oops? Oops! What 'oops'? Why is there an oops!"

"Ah ha ha ha… Yup, I think I went left! I, um, never was very good in that department… Heh. Right from left. Never could tell." He tried to make light of it, hoping Malik wouldn't be to upset. When he opened his eyes, Malik had an expression on his face that said, 'I feel the need to kill you.'

"Gah…" Malik took a deep breath and blinked, "That's okay. We can take a left up here and that'll probably fix our mistake. _I'll_ tell you which way to turn."

"O-Okay!"

Malik sighed and leaned back in his seat. They had turned the radio off, shortly after "I'm Too Sexy" had played and they all had a good cry over it. They were afraid another song would play and it would make Ryou cry so hard he couldn't see two feet in front of him. And then where would they be? Well, chances are they'd probably be dead. Ryou cried even harder when Malik said that.

"Oh, yes, you are so cute…! Yes, you are! Woogie, woogie…! Meow meow!"

Malik blinked and looked in the back seat. It seemed that Yugi and the little kitten had bonded. Presently, the kitten was on Yugi's head and Yugi was wagging his index finger in his face, making the cat swipe a paw at it. He moved his head from side to side, "Weedle weedle…!"

"… Um. Yugi?"

"Weegie wee- Hmm? Yeah, Malik, what is it?"

"Ah… You do like that cat, don't you?"

"Of course!" Yugi took the cat off his head and snuggled it, "How could I not? He's the cutest thing in the world, yes, he is!"

Ryou shot the boy an annoyed look through the rearview mirror, "He's my kitten, Yugi. I found him. You were the one to ask me if I was serious about saving him."

Yugi closed his eyes, rubbing his cheek against the kitten's. "I-I know… But you've been driving and… Well, me and Little Fruitcake have bonded, here in the backseat."

"… Little Fruitcake!" Both Malik and Ryou looked surprised.

"He just reminds me of Yami so much…"

"I thought you were mad at Yami! For getting your Grandfather killed!" Ryou shouted, he was awfully mad that Yugi had taken it upon himself to name the kitten that _he_ had saved, all by _him_self.

"Oh… That. Well, I was mad at Yami. But the thing I realized is why I got over it, last time… Grandpa is old. And when your time has come, your time has come. There's no escaping death. And if you try, you'd end up dying anyway. So there." He smiled after his small speech and continued to cuddle Little Fruitcake.

Malik shrugged and turned back to his map.

Ryou winced and mumbled, "Damn… Kitten stealing… Little Fruitcake my (bleep)…"

* * *

Out in the rain and cold, Bakura and the old man with him were trudging through the wet grass as they made their way over to what they supposed was a gardening shed. On the way, Bakura told Grandpa what had happened since he fell asleep.

"Oh my good-golly-gosh!" The older man exclaimed, "Murders? This is awful! Have you boys been okay? Nothing bad has happened to you, has it?"

Bakura answered with a shrug, "Nah, I'm cool. Yami was being stupid like always. And Marik was okay last time I saw him, but he might not be so great when he finds out he's hikariless."

Before Grandpa could question him on that, they reached the door to the small building. Hoping it wasn't locked, Bakura tried the door handle and, to his surprise, it opened without any resistance. When they opened it fully, they were surprised beyond belief to find Marik on a metal examining table, bound by the wrists and ankles. Yami was beside him, pulling on one of the shackles and saying something. Shivers and Shakes had stopped whatever they were doing and they were all now starring at the open door with Bakura and Grandpa standing in front of it, both dripping wet.

Marik grinned, "There you are, Bakura. And you found the old man!"

"Ah… Hey, Marik, s'up?"

"Not much. But Shivers has gone nuts and is trying to de-dark me."

Bakura looked around the room and blinked, "… I don't get it."


	16. Gotta love that Marik Part 2

Her Sweetness: Wow, baby. We've hit chapter 16. That's odd. I always give myself a pat on the back when I stick with one thing for so long. It's just kind of hard to show so much interest in one thing for so long. Which… is why I post like everyday during the summer. I have so many things I wanna do!

It's like… Gotta hurry, there's another story I want to show you guys!

I know, I sound like a five year old with macaroni art. Heh. Enjoy.

* * *

Motel 37

Chapter 16:

Before anyone could say anything, regarding Bakura's stupid remark, the Tomb Robber had already walked down the ramp and onto the main floor of the room. Yami was ignoring him and pulling madly on the shackles that Marik was attached to, but was having as little luck as before. He looked up as Bakura began to pull on the other side and smiled. It was about time Bakura did something helpful.

_What's this…? I thought the Bakura had gone down the other hallway…!_

"I knew it!" Yami shouted back in between yanks and pulls, "You were the one who got rid of Bakura! You lied to me!"

_… So._

Bakura blinked and looked at Marik, "Whose he talking to?"

"The voice of the motel, I think."

"… You mean there _actually_ is a voice?" He looked surprised, "So, the Pharaoh isn't crazy, after all."

"Well, not today."

_Yami, don't resist, please… I still intend to deliver my promise to you…_

"I don't want your promise anymore! I told you, I changed my mind!"

Bakura stopped trying to free his friend and turned around, hands on his hips and a pout on his face. "Hey… How come Yami is the only one that gets to hear the voice? I wanna hear it too!"

"Because." Shivers said simply, and turned another dial. This one made the machine next to the examining table light up. It's loose wires jolted with energy and the spots not metal, lighted into a rainbow of colors. A long bleeping sound was heard and then it stopped. "In order to get Marik here, the motel would have to manipulate the person who despised him most. The person who would be willing to do just about anything to get just a little bit of respect from Marik."

Yami blinked, "… Uh-oh."

"Yami! You big, fat idiot! I swear, when and if I get out of this device alive, I'm going to totally throttle you! It's your fault that I'm in this!" Marik made the chains jiggle to show his meaning.

"W-Well, it's not my fault!"

"Sure…" Bakura rolled his eyes, "It's not your fault that you listened to a mysterious, murderous voice and ended up getting Marik trapped in a place where he's likely to lose everything that gave him life in the first place. It was just a coincidence."

"That's right." Yami nodded solemnly and folded his arms.

"I was kidding!"

"Shut up, the both of you and get me out of here!"

Quickly, Grandpa came running over to the table and pulled on the brace holding Marik's left foot. "C'mon, boys! Shake a tail feather, we've got to get out of here!"

Yami went back to helping out, "G-Grandpa…!" He said with tears in his eyes, "I'm so glad you're not dead!"

"At least some one is!" He turned around slightly, glaring at Shivers, "I can't believe what an awful man you are! Taking advantage of this young boy!"

Shivers rolled his eyes slightly and motioned to Shakes through one of their silent nods. Shakes obediently walked over to Grandpa. Remembering what happened the last time he came into contact with the taller man, Grandpa grimaced and tried to get away. And much like the last time, Grandpa was picked up by one hand with the greatest of ease.

Grandpa swallowed hard as he gained eye-to-eye contact with Shakes. He tried to smile and asked, "C-Can I offer you some prune pie, perhaps?"

"…" The man's expression never changed as he walked over to a small cage in the corner of the room. Bars surround it and one latch that Shakes took in his hand before he roughly threw the older man inside.

"Oh no! Grandpa!" Yami yelped.

Marik rolled his eyes, "Yami, shut up and help me, that old man's been through everything imaginable! I think he can handle a cage!"

Yami grumbled, "Stupid… Marik… always tellin me what to do… You know, Marik! We wouldn't be in this situation if you were even the slightest bit nice to me!"

"No, we wouldn't be in this situation if you could keep your emotions in check! You big, spiky-headed girl!"

Shakes ignored their bickering and went over, picking Bakura up by the skin on the back of his neck. He carelessly threw him in an open closet door on the opposite side of the room and locked the door with that black key he and Shivers used to get in. Pounding on the door followed and then it was quiet. Everyone supposed Bakura was now trying to bite the doorknob.

Yami sweatdropped but screamed when he noticed Shakes coming over to him. "Eek! No, you stay away!" He squeaked, running and hiding under the table. It was a small space and only Yami (or Yugi) could possibly squeeze in.

Shivers massaged his eyebrows, looking up from the dashboard in front of him, "I didn't plan on so many interruptions. You know, all I wanted to do was extract the darkness, and have the motel satisfied so I can leave. It's not like I wanted to kill anyone."

"…Wait…" Yami said, still scooting away from Shakes grasp, "Y-You mean, Marik's going to be okay after this? If that's a fact then what are we resisting for! Just take the damned darkness and leave us alone."

"Well. That would work, but seeing as how Marik is a creature of darkness, he'd probably shrivel up and become a mindless idiot after the procedure."

"WHAT!" Marik's eyes went wide and he tried his hardest to tear the shackles off, "NO! I don't want to be a mindless idiot! Lemme go!"

Yami shuddered, "Ooh, glad it's not me… Jeez."

"Shut up, Pharaoh!"

"Eep!" Suddenly, two hands had a firm grip on Yami's waist and he lifted the boy out from under the table. "Let go of me! Stop it!"

Shakes took three steps away from Marik's holding place and looked back at Shivers, "… sir, there's no place to hold this one."

"That's okay, just hold onto him." Shivers nodded to his henchman and sauntered over to the lit machine that stood beside the table. He picked up two of the wires, both red and held them over Marik's head as he struggled beneath him.

"S-Stop it! Get away from me!"

Shivers ignored the endless threats and pleas and placed the two wires on Marik's temples, avoiding the boy's teeth. Amidst all of Marik's wails, Yami called out, "Agh! Shivers, don't! Leave him alone, dammit! I don't hate Marik! I… Ugh, I love him!"

"…" Not a word was said or a movement made for over a minute.

Marik blinked slowly at Yami, "… Wow."

"Ah… Sorry about that." Yami said, blushing and fingering a lock of his hair.

"Good Lord…" Shivers returned to his mission by quickly snapping a large, red switch on the machine that Marik was hooked up to. The lights flickered, went off and abruptly came back on. Marik's screams echoed throughout the rainstorm and the back into the room when his eyes dilated and the illusion of a dark glow around him began to fade.

_Yes…_

* * *

"My Ra, I think I turned left again."

"What? Ryou, how could you!"

"I-I'm sorry…!"

On the road, the hikaris had been driving now for a very long time and Malik believed they would've been there in twenty minutes flat if Ryou actually listened to the directions that he was given. Malik even offered to drive about five minutes ago, but Ryou was no good at reading maps and Yugi was too busy with Little Fruitcake. Which Ryou found to be absolutely absurd. He didn't like the fact that Little Fruitcake hadn't maimed Yugi yet at all.

Due to Malik's scolding and the cooing going on in the back seat, Ryou became quite emotional and began to cry.

"Oh, jeez…Listen, Ryou, it's okay…!" Malik realized he was not making this any easier for his sweet friend and took this time to try and comfort him in his time of need. "C-Come on, don't cry!"

He paid no mind and continued to bawl, wetting the map in Malik's lap and since his eyes were closed, he was not watching the road very closely at all. Malik just knew they were going to die soon and he began to cry as well.

While this tear fest was erupting in the front seat, this could be heard in the back: "La la la la la! Wee-bop, wee-bop, wee-bop-bee!" Yugi was smiling brightly and bopping his head to the music in his mind. Little Fruitcake resided on top of the spikes, watching Yugi with a questioning expression. And he seemed to be wanting to say, 'You're a bit nuts, you know. But I really like your head. Which hair gel do you use?'

"Ah! Y-Yugi, do you have to be so insensitive!" Ryou had turned around and witnessed this little act of bonding between Yugi and _his _kitten. "We're trying to un-loose ourselves and you're having happy hour with MY kitten!"

"Little Fruitcake isn't _your_ kitten, Ryou…" Yugi said, smugly, "Little Fruitcake and I like each other very much. We think it would be best if, after this is all over, he comes home with me and Fruitcake."

"You and _FRUITCAKE_! YUGI MOTOU! _I'LL_ GIVE YOU SOME FRUITCAKE!" Ryou glared daggers at the boy and swerved the car off the road and into the woods just off the highway. "I'LL KILL US ALL AND WE'LL GO TO FRUITCAKE HEAVEN! HOW DO YA LIKE ME NOW?" He yelled as they went speeding by trees and large rocks, going approximately one hundred and fifty miles an hour.

"Ryou! STOP!" Malik cried, now in hysterics. Before, he was about forty percent sure they were going to die in a fiery explosion. Now he was about ninety-nine point five percent sure. The last point five percentage left was due to the airbags they had. Every cloud has its silver lining.

"Oh no…!" Yugi held on tightly to Little Fruitcake and visa versa. They awaited the end, locked in each other's arms with looks of horror and woe on their faces. Which really would make a wonderful Christmas card.

The car had gotten out of the woods with only a few thousand scratches on it. It was now going about a hundred mph in this clearing surround by nothing but dead trees and some dried grass. A building was coming into view, gray and about four stories. But behind that, there seemed to be an even smaller structure. And with Ryou on the fritz and his foot glued to the gas pedal, that's exactly where they were heading, full force.

* * *

"Marik! Marik, speak to me!"

Yami was scrambling to try and get out of Shakes' firm grasp, but to no avail. Every time the Pharaoh tried to get away, Shakes' arms tightened around the boy and he was almost blue by now. Marik was laying, limp and unresponsive, on the table. The large, purple orbs that once filled the blonde's eyes were rolled back in his head.

_Yes… I can _feel _his energy filing into me…_

"You horrible monster! Y-You totally killed him!"

Shivers shook his head slightly, "… It's a large amount of energy. It should take about two minutes or so to completely drain from him." He looked to Shakes, "We should go now. Since the darkness in the building is being refilled, the motel has its defenses down and we can escape."

Shakes gave a look of relief, "Finally…" He set Yami down and he and his employer began for the door that led to the backyard.

Yami rushed over to Marik and shook his shoulders, "M-Marik! Listen to me, do something!"

"…"

"Eh! You've must fight this! Pull your energy back, okay? If you don't, y-you're gonna be a vegetable! Can you hear me!"

Before opening the door, Shivers looked back, shaking his head, "Give it up, Mr. Motou, he's not going to-"

Suddenly, just as Shakes opened the door, a red corvette came crashing, full throttle into the side of the wall, taking most of the door and the other half of the wall with it, down onto the floor. The metallic tile was torn up as it skidded to a heart-clutching stop. Both Shivers and Shakes were lost in the rubble that pounded down on the car and the floor. When it stopped in less than thirty seconds, the car no longer looked like a car but a piece of scrap metal.

Yami blinked, "Uh…"

The front door opened an out popped Ryou, who was dusting himself off and Malik followed. Yugi came out last, frowning and ball of fluff rested on his head.

"Y-Yugi! You're here!"

"Oh, for Ra's sake…! This was a rented car! What am I gotta tell the dealership?" Malik looked at the corvette, "… Wait, what am I worried about? It's on Yugi's credit."

Yugi frowned, "Darn it! Oh well… At least me and Little Fruitcake are okay." He punctuated his sentence by cuddling the cat and meowing with it.

"Y-Yugi…!" Ryou balled his fists.

"Wait! Stop!" Yami waved his arms around, "Later! Do this later, but we've go a problem! Marik's going to be-"

"Eek!" Malik had already noticed the condition of his other half and rushed over to the table, gawking at both him and the machine he was attached to, "Yami! W-Wha happened to my precious Biscuit Head? What's this thing?"

Yami tilted his head, "What's a… Biscuit Head…?"

"Never mind that! Yami, tell me what happened!"

"Long story short, Marik's darkness is being drained into this motel and if we don't stop it soon, he'll be just a shell!" Yami was being helped by Malik and Yugi to get the wires off the boy's temples. It took quiet a bit of tugging, but they soon came popping off.

_No! Yami, what are you doing? Put those back on! _

"Shove it, Motel 37!"

"Hey! What's going on out there!" There was a pounding on the closet door, and a familiar voice sounded out through the room. It sounded like a pouting child was also a bit pissed off. Ryou ran over to the door and kicked it open, knowing already it was Bakura.

As soon as it was open, Bakura came falling out on to the floor. He landed right next to a cage with an older man it in, he looked up at Ryou and shouted, "Ryou! Oh, thank goodness! Can you get me out of here?"

"Ah… Yes, of course!" Ryou nodded and had Bakura help him with the latch on the cage.

_Yami, please, listen to me! I must have him… If I go this long without… Yami, you'll all die! I'm going to just explode if I don't have him, Yami, listen to me! _

"Explode!" Yami looked up, "W-What the hell do you mean!"

_… _

Yugi looked to his other half, "Yami, what are you talking about?"

"Listen you guys, the building's going to explode! We have to get out of here, right now!"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, EXPLODE!" They all yelled at him.

He cringed, "Not my fault! It's the damn motel! It told me that it's going to explode, since we're taking Marik away! And we've gotta-"

The building began to shake, slightly at first and then more violently. The rocks and pieces of the wall that had landed on the ground were now shaking and the entire building threatened to break down to the foundation. Yami and Malik frantically pulled on the shackles, but there was no moving them.

Yugi bit his lip, "What are we gonna do? We can't leave Marik here!"

Bakura put his hands on his hips and shrugged. "Well, he's lived a full life. Of course, there really was nothing much for him to live for now, seeing as how I now own Malik."

Without warning of any kind, Marik's head popped up and he looked straight at Bakura, a deep malice in his eyes, "WHAT? What the hell do you mean, Bakura!"

"And he lives."

Everyone starred at the two, "… Wow."

Before anything else was said, Ryou clamped a hand on his yami's mouth and shouted, "That's great! But he's still tied down, we can't get him loose!"

As the building began to collapse around them and it got more dangerous by the second, a light bulb went off in Grandpa's mind. He reached into his mouth and removed the dentures. He placed them on the brace holding Marik's right arm and snapped it down. The brace broke and Marik was able to move his right wrist. Grandpa grinned in triumph, "I knew that would work…!"

Everyone starred at the old man, "… Wow."

"Quick, throw them to me!" Yami called and he was thrown the false teeth. He snapped them on Marik's left arm and the hikaris did Marik's ankles. When he was free, he jumped up and grabbed Bakura by the collar, "Baku-"

"Not now!" Malik shouted as the walls collapsed. They all ran for their lives, covering their heads with their arms as they sprinted out to the backyard and in front of the motel. When they looked back, only a loud boom was followed by a large eruption and rubble flew for miles. A scream was heard… but only by Yami.


	17. One more time?

Motel 37

Chapter 17:

It didn't take that long for the police to get to the area. About fifteen minutes or so. Since there was no crime or call for help, the only real reason they came was to beat up on whoever it was who started the explosion. Their police station had been destroyed due to a large chunk of the motel's roof flying away and crashing into it. Of course, when they got their to find the boys and Grandpa, the decided it would look good on their record if they figured out what happened.

Yami and Marik tried to explain it to him but when they got to the 'talking building' portion of it, the policemen almost died of laughter. They checked this off as the work of a few fraternity boys and their aged leader. Grandpa, of course, took a bit of offense to this. When everything was explained and the police _still_ didn't believe them, the hikaris took it upon themselves to just tell the police it was all a mistake and they just needed a ride home, seeing as how _their _car was scattered over a ten-block radius.

They called out and had another rented car brought out to them. This one was a van and ugly, the dealership didn't trust the boys with anything pretty or expensive. They were on the road in less than an hour with Grandpa behind the wheel and a lot to sort out.

"There's no way you won, Bakura, there's just no way!"

"Oh yeah? Tell that to the old guy up there who happened to fall asleep on the _toilet_!"

"Alright, now cut it out!" Malik shouted impatiently. His yami and Bakura had been going at it for the past five minutes. About what, no one knew. But Malik wanted to find out and put an end to it, "Bakura, what did you win?"

He grinned and inched closer to the Egyptian, "Heh. Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Uh…"

"Stop that, Bakura!" Marik growled and pulled Malik over near him.

Grandpa looked up from the road and into the rearview mirror. He'd been happily humming to his beloved golden oldies but now it seemed like he couldn't hear them quiet as well due to Marik's shouting, "Oh, hey hey! You boys, stop fighting. Marik, it's okay, it's true after all. I did fall asleep in the bathroom."

Marik blinked, "Y-You did…?"

"Yup." He said happily and continued his driving.

"B-But that means-"

"That's right…!" Bakura chirped and slid Malik next to him, "I get your hikari…"

Ryou and Malik were both highly confused and Yami sensed it, "You guys, Marik and Bakura made a bet that if Grandpa was in the bathroom when we thought he was dead, then Bakura would get Malik. If he was dead at the bottom of a stairwell, then Marik would get Ryou."

"Oh!" Ryou looked at his yami, horrified, "Bakura, how could you do such a thing to me!"

"Relax." He grinned, smugly, and brought one arm around Malik and the other one around Ryou. "Heh heh. Now I have two…"

Malik blinked, "Uh…"

Ryou growled and pushed Bakura's arm away. He slid to the other seat and leaned on Marik, who was kind of in shock, "… You do not have _two_ hikaris, Bakura, you have one. Which is Malik, because I have transferred myself over to Marik. So there." He punctuated his sentence with a raspberry, blown to his former yami.

"What!" Bakura shouted, "That's not fair!"

Marik grinned, "And, oh yeah, Bakura. Remember that other bet that I won? Meaning I get Ryou's clothes, so if you please…"

Ryou nodded, knowingly and sighed, "If that's the bet…" He began to take off his shirt, slowly and before he even got to his belt, Bakura was shaking his head and screaming, "Ryou, cut it out! Okay, okay! All bets are off!"

"Thank you!" Marik called, dragging Malik back over to him. Ryou stayed in his spot and ignored Bakura's pitiful whines and pleas for him to come back. Of course he wasn't too mad at his yami, and decided to wait until Bakura couldn't handle the rejection anymore and got on his knees, kissing Ryou's toes for forgiveness. The way things were going, the toe-kissing would commence in about five minutes.

"Oh, stop your whining, Bakura." Marik said, leaning back, "If anything, I should be the one who whines. I was nearly killed!"

"No one was gonna kill you, you baby… Without your darkness, you'd probably end up like the Pharaoh. A goody-goody with spiky hair."

"When you say it that way, it sounds like Yugi."

Both Yami and Yugi glared at the two. Of course the glare Yugi was giving Marik really didn't look that dangerous with a little kitten sitting on his head. At first, Yami had thought that his hikari had used an extra glob of hair gel and it just happened to purr from time to time. But sitting right next to him, he figured out that it was an actual cat.

"Um… Yugi, I was just wondering _why_ there was a… furry animal atop your head?" Yami sent a questioning glance towards the kitten.

"Oh, Yami! This is our new pet, he's named after you. His name is Little Fruitcake."

Marik and Bakura looked at each other for a moment, and then busted out in uncontrollable giggles. "Ah ha ha…! Oh Gods! H-He's named… Little _Fruitcake_…! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha…!"

Yugi winced and turned to Marik who was currently on the floor in hysterics, "You have _no _room to talk… Biscuit Head."

"Gah." Marik looked back at his other half who shrugged.

Bakura was now the only one red in the face due to laughter. But that quickly ceased when Ryou yanked on the collar of his shirt and brought him up to seat with him. "Not now, 'Kura-Kat."

"Heh heh…"

"Shut up, Biscuit Head."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Both of you shut up."

"Why don't you? _Fruitcake_!"

"Be SILENT!" All hikaris yelled at them, causing a group 'meep'. Not a sound was made for the next minute or so. Of course that was because of the obvious tension between Yugi, Ryou and Little Fruitcake. Ryou was glaring daggers at the boy who made a smug face at him and petting Little Fruitcake.

Malik groaned, "Alright, you two, stop it! It's just a cat, for Ra's sake."

Little Fruitcake gave him a glance, 'Who are you calling just a cat?'

"It was MY cat, Malik!" Ryou broke down and sobbed, taking comfort from his yami. Bakura grinned, thinking he'd won his hikari back. Little did he know that he was just the rebound and Ryou really wanted Little Fruitcake. "I saved him when we were out in the rain and no one else wanted him…!"

Yami scratched his head, "Y-Yugi, is it _really_ Ryou's cat?"

"W-Well, I-I dunno…!" Yugi began to sob as he held onto Little Fruitcake, "All I know is that we love each other…!"

"B-But I love him, too…!"

Now, two of the hikaris were crying their eyes out, Marik and Bakura were trying to go to sleep and Yami and Malik were trying to moderate. Malik patted Ryou on the back, "Um… Ryou, think about it… You can't have Little Fruitcake live with you anyway. Bakura eats cats."

Ryou blinked, "…"

Bakura grinned over at Little Fruitcake, who shuddered. Malik nodded knowingly and said, "Ryou, if you _really_ love Little Fruitcake, you'll let him go."

Yugi nodded as well, "Uh-huh!"

"Oh… okay. But…" Ryou got on his knees in front of Yugi and Little Fruitcake. He held the kittens paws in his hands and looked straight into those large, brown eyes, "L-Little Fruitcake… I know you can't come home with me, m-my yami eats cats, and you'd be in great danger. And I can't allow that. So, you have to go home with Yugi and Yami. You'll be safe there… I will miss you, Little Fruitcake. You have made me so happy in the little time that I've known you. You've awoken feelings in me that I thought were dormant… You may not understand this right now, Little Fruitcake… but I love you."

Malik was crying on his yami's shoulder, who was doing his best not to break down into tears. Yugi and Yami's eyes were wet and glistening and Bakura was becoming a bit jealous.

Little Fruitcake blinked and purred. Which, any other way, would've been translated into: 'Aw… Ryou, that's so sweet. I love you too. Be happy and maybe I'll see you when you come to visit.'

Yugi nodded, slowly, "T-That was beautiful… Ryou, I swear, I'll take good care of him."

A little later on, when Grandpa had pulled into the driveway of the Game Shop, it was about five o' clock. He was too tired to go drop everyone off at their homes and, frankly, everyone else was too tired to go anywhere. So, they decided to crash at Yugi and Yami's place. Of course, Ryou made no objection, he'd get to spend a little more time with Little Fruitcake.

Grandpa had gone to his bedroom to take a nap and the boys were in the living room, watching television. They had been watching a Lifetime movie, but now a commercial break had started and Malik told Yami, Marik and Bakura to go make popcorn. (And no butter because Malik and Ryou were on a joint diet.)

"I really don't think it was all the bad…" Yugi mused, "I mean… Sure, Marik was almost drained of darkness and people were killed and Grandpa fell asleep on a toilet… But, we did get to stay on our vacation longer."

Malik snorted, "Yeah, but it was too close."

Before Ryou could say anything, he heard something in the kitchen that sounded like Marik and Yami having a war with the microwave and a bag of popcorn exploding. Confirming his suspicions, a stream of butter began to flow onto the carpet of the living room, staining it.

"It wasn't me!" Bakura called.

"Yes, it was!" Two other voices called.

"Ugh…" Yugi sighed and turned back to the TV screen, "Oh, wow! Hey, you guys, look at this."

Malik and Ryou noticed what Yugi was talking about. An advertisement for a _'Wonderful vacation to the Antarctic. Snowmen and penguins await those ready for a weekend of pampering and winter loveliness.'_

They squealed, "Ooh, that sounds wonderful!"

Yami, Bakura and Marik had peeked in through the kitchen door. They looked at each other as the hikaris tried to call in to win the tickets.

"… Oh no."

**THE END…**

Her Sweetness: Boom, baby! Oh, I'm so excited! And I just can't hide it! Well, there we have it. The end and I'm so glad to be typing it. Well, you can expect my next fic's first chapter with the next 36 hours.

… Too long?

Okay, I'll see what I can do. Oh, and I have a bit of a **Contest** for you guys! For those of you who have read my other fics, that is.

My next fic will be a sequel. But to which one? You guess. One guess per reviewer and the person who gets it right, first, will have a cameo roll in it!

Goodbye and Goodluck!


End file.
